When Your Day Drags On…

We face challenges each day in various forms: crises, disagreements, arguments, emergencies, and last-minute requests. The impact range by the range of mild irritants to annoyingly long meetings to conflict with people at the workplace can be minor or severe. How do you face them, before you declare a face-off or stand off situation? And, it can grow to feel like a very long day. Think of the television character, Jack Bauer and his very long day, translated moment to moment, over 24 episodes.

Albert Einstein described his Theory of Relativity well; everything is comparative. We can compare ourselves against others, yet we need not have to emulate them completely nor copy their strategies or techniques exactly. Stop following and start leading! Realise your own potential. Be the best YOU, you can be!

Chrissy Wellington describes it well in her interview. ‘It’s all about keeping calm under pressure and knowing that triumph and disaster are one and the same thing. You can win or lose, and often losing can be just as much of a learning experience as the victory can.’ An ultra-marathon or Ironman triathlon is a full-day event, and it can go into over-time, with no extra pay. How do you endure and persist through a challenging day, fraught with excitement, mood dampeners, un-welcomed surprises (usually mechanical crises) and unfriendly weather.

Matthew Wong provided a comprehensive report of his second Ironman triathlon in Regensberg, Germany – a weather-unfriendly day for 2,000 participants. Congratulations, mate on your achievement!

Fear not - all is not lost. Being prepared helps us manage some of these crises. Openness to whatever punches our way helps deflect some of the painful impact these close brushes make on us. Resilience gives us some strength to rise up when we are dropped temporarily. An obstacle is merely a setback, which can be worked around or through if need be. If a sprinter drops a hurdle on the way she continues, as she is not penalized. She still needs to complete the race unfazed, assuring herself that it is all right and mistakes happen.

Leadership Lessons: How do you manage a day when things go awry? How do you cope with adversity, exigencies and uninvited guests? What is your self-talk like when you begin to drag your feet? 

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Yesterday, I ran a tempo run for 10.5K at sub-5-minute pace. I felt better since the sniffles were kept at bay. My legs stepped up to the challenge and my lungs cleared up our issues. The last few weeks, I felt irritated having to clear my nasal passages. Snort missiles were not pleasant to look at, or be at the receiving end of. Today’s midday swim drill session and evening 2-hour ride was a good indicator of my fitness before my long-distance triathlon race in mid-September. One more workout tomorrow before I head off, to cash in on my frequent-flyer points. Looking forward to next Sunday’s King of the Road 16.8K run! Onwards!