I should have been more specific …
By Nina Kaufman, Esq.Earlier this year, I made a promise to you. More of a confession, a public pledge. I was going to work my risk muscles. Going to get out of my comfort zone.
So I went mechanical bull riding. Tried meditative dance. Spoke at a major women’s business conference. Okay, so I wasn’t exactly jumping at the pole dancing … but naked yoga was next on the list.
And then Life smacked me around in a way I wasn’t expecting.
First, my dear father suffered a stroke while traveling with my mother in Portugal. It took two weeks of wrangling with hospitals, doctors, travel insurance companies, and airlines to at least get him back stateside. There’s a long road of testing and diagnosis ahead.
I want to believe that, like the 6 Million Dollar Man, “We can rebuild him … Better than he was before. Better, stronger, faster.” Because he’s starting from scratch. Dad needs to relearn basic things. Like how to sit up. How to hold a spoon. How to regain speech. For a man who’s been a voracious reader, word-lover, and communicator since his teens, that last one breaks my heart most of all.
There are little bright spots. Like when the nurse comes in and Dad says, “I want a cup of tea.” (My mother once billed him as “the largest private consumer of Twinings Tea in North America”). Or when Yossi, the Israeli physical therapist demanded, “Rez yoor ret hendt.” And Dad replied (weakly), “I have the strength of a thousand men.” Not crystal-clear diction, but a coherent, relevant phrase … with classic Dad humor thrown in.
In the middle of it all, I sprain my left ankle at the gym. Aieeee! My mind was elsewhere—probably thinking about business as I did elevated knee raises. I wasn’t paying attention. Stepped off of a riser at an odd angle and went down like a sack of potatoes. It hurt like a somanabeach. In other words, NOT comfortable.
Like I said, I should have been more specific about HOW I wanted out of my comfort zone. This ain’t it.
But there’s a gift (more than one!) in it.
- My priorities are clearer. I want to be with my father. This has knocked me out of “dawdle mode” and into full-gear production of my Million Dollar Road Map product.
- I don’t sweat the small stuff as much. Is this article perfect? Far from it. But I can be compassionate with myself—tell my inner perfectionist to go on vacation—and let “good enough” be good enough.
- I have a stronger sense of WHY. Why do I want to build and scale my business? Now, it’s less for my own ego and more to enjoy greater freedom with a solid financial foundation for my future.
- A better approach to physical health and well-being. Because I don’t function well when sick or injured. Occasional 5K runs are fun. Get the competitive juices flowing. But I also need the limberness and flexibility that yoga or dance can provide. Laying off the French fries wouldn’t hurt either. 🙂
Where could you be more specific about what you want from your business? Post a comment on our blog and let us know how we can help.
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