Pushing through a low time
During my run today, a song played about low times and high times and how you must expect both. This makes absolute sense. The greatness of a high time would not be experienced if you never felt the turmoil, despair, or lethargy from a low time. High times bring joy, a sense of accomplishment, satisfaction, and energy, all of which make it easier to accomplish daily tasks, projects, and big goals. Not so during a low time. So how do you push through?
Sometimes a low point can be temporary and might be caused by something minor. For me, it is marked by a lack of energy to accomplish what I intended to do. Despite how I feel, I still desire to be productive and use my time the best that I can. In pushing through, I will pare down my activity to those tasks that must be completed. I will also choose those activities which require less focus to complete. But sometimes, I will push a little harder and do that one thing that is more difficult because I know I will feel better once it is done. Today is a low time as I am struggling with a head cold. However, I ran my three miles (slowly) as I knew it would lift my spirits.
In contrast, a low time can be prolonged making it more difficult to continue achieving at your normally high level. In 2009 I started a new job as the CFO of a healthcare company, and I was also diagnosed with breast cancer. After multiple surgeries, I faced radiation therapy caused extreme fatigue. I was concerned with my ability to do my job well and I also felt like I lost control over my body which was being subjected to treatments not in my control. So, I did two things. First, I reduced the number of hours I worked but kept myself fully focused on one critical project at work (the annual operating and capital budget). Second, I hired a personal trainer to work out three times per week which gave me back control over my body. That was it. Despite the fatigue and worry, I found success by significantly limiting my goals to just two.
Those who know me or have read some of my growth stories know that in 2012, my sister died suddenly and tragically. Living with profound grief made it very difficult to complete even the smallest tasks, not to mention projects and big goals. To push through, I allowed myself to feel and talk about the grief. My other sister and spoke daily about how we felt, oftentimes accompanied by a lot of tears. I deviated from my normal type of reading material which was usually self-help or work-related and dove into easy reading (think “Christmas romance novels.”) This allowed for an escape and a way to rest my racing brain. I leaned heavily on my strengths of structure, organization, and planning to make sure my team and I stayed on track and that I completed necessary home-related tasks. Finally, I prayed a lot, probably the most important thing I did.
Finding yourself in a low time does not mean you still can’t be successful and satisfied. Think about what strategies you can employ to push through. You can do it!