What are you training for?
What would you say if I told you that today, you and I were going on a run?
A 20 mile run.
C'mon. It'll be fun!
Now, I don't know about you, but if someone tried to pull me in for a casual 20 mile run, I think I would start running... in the opposite direction away from that person.
Depending on how you feel about the idea of a 20 mile run, the prospect might sound perfect to you: a chance to get outside, build the strength and endurance of your body, clear your mind, etc...
Or this might sound like a special form of torture. Or your perfect version of hell.
Now what if you were someone who had a goal to run their very first marathon in a few months? How do you think the prospect of this 20 mile run would feel to you then?
Less arduous? Maybe exciting? Maybe even IMPORTANT so that you were ready for the big day?
That end goal creates an entirely new context for the experience you're potentially about to have.
It might not make it feel FUN, AND with that goal of running a marathon on the horizon, we've suddenly given that experience MEANING. It creates a shift around the scenario that has the power to rewrite everything about how we feel in the moment. And there's some magic in this that we can apply in our everyday lives.
You might never have a marathon on your bucket list (and as someone who has run a marathon, I endorse that choice for you), and what if I told you you could apply this same trick to other elements in your world?
There's a powerful question we can ask ourselves when faced with a challenging situation in life:
"What is this training me for?"
When we get into this zone, we can be experimental, or maybe even PLAYFUL.
Don't get me wrong: Life is going to present us with some real challenges from time to time. And even in the most difficult situations it can serve us to pause and ask: "If this situation were going to be incredibly useful for me someday, what could it be training me for?"
When we stop and ask ourselves this, we suddenly open up a world of possibility. We suddenly get to DECIDE what meaning we want to make out of any situation we're facing by choosing the framing of the end goal.
Basically we're figuring out "If I'm going to go through this, what's it going to be WORTH for me?" or "What's going to be VALUABLE here for me in the future?"
And I'm not here saying this is always easy. Sometimes you are really IN IT and the possibilities look limited or even nonexistent.
Sometimes we have to get creative. And whenever possible, pull in a trusted third party to help brainstorm with you. This could be a mentor, a coach, or a good friend.
You get to CHOOSE your story
A client I was working with on a career transition recently received a challenging medical diagnosis--early-stage Parkinson's.
This diagnosis of a chronic illness is, understandably, a life-changer.
And for many people, VERY understandably, could sideline them for quite a while as they grapple with this new reality.
When this client shared their news with me, we paused and together asked the question: "What if this is this moment preparing me for?"
They paused and thought. And when they were ready to speak...
Their answer held so much relief.
In the diagnosis there was clarity. There had been worrying signs that something was wrong for months before. And now they didn't have to wonder anymore. They could move forward with it.
Their answer held so much possibility.
There were suddenly new paths available to them that were never there before. Paths that looked exciting and enlivening. They had the opportunity to choose the next steps in their career and life in ways that would make their experience more meaningful all around WITH this new part of their reality.
Their answer also held inspiration.
They also saw an opportunity to share about their experience on their Parkinson's journey with others--something they had never envisioned doing previously in life. There was a way to really help other people in this. Their learning and growing and thriving in this change could be the inspiration someone else NEEDS.
This client inspires the heck out of me.
It would be so normal to be lost in a moment like that, not knowing what the future is going to hold.
And that's still true: They don't know what the future will look like for them.
And...
They're actively choosing what they want their future to look like.
When we get into this zone, we can be experimental, or maybe even playful.
Often NOTHING in the circumstances themselves change (and sometimes they can’t), and our energy, outlook, and our EXPERIENCE completely change.
So I want to offer you this opportunity to ask yourself now, if you could choose anything at all:
