A few weeks ago I wrote a blog about a small setback in my half marathon training and in it I used the words “bend, don’t break”. Long after I finished writing the post, those three words stuck with me and kept arriving in the forefront of my mind with repetitive frequency. After talking with clients, before running, while cooking and preparing meals for the week, after phone calls with friends and family; the three words kept coming back. They repeated themselves over and over in my head as if to serve as a self-soothing, calming reminder not to get bent out of shape. They reminded me of a song by one of my favorite folk singers- Ani Difranco called “Buildings and Bridges”. In this song, Ani says “what doesn’t bend breaks”, and hence the title of this blog. Listening to that song, and thinking about my previous blog post, I realized that “bend, don’t break” applies to much more than half marathon training; it is applicable to most (if not all) situations in life.
When people get to their “breaking point” with anything- a relationship, a job, a fitness routine, a diet, a task in general- they have likely been unhappy for quite some time. Stress, dissatisfaction, resentment, aggravation and unhappiness build up over a period of time (could be days, months, or years) and finally at some point, something causes it all to come crashing down. After trying to stay upright and rigid for too long, the stress becomes too much and the result is that it’s in pieces on the floor.
I truly believe that in most cases this detrimental “break” can be avoided by “bending” a bit, as I did with my half marathon training. In that instance, I could’ve stubbornly stuck to my program (even though I had an injury flare up) and kept running, but I likely would’ve exacerbated my injury and may not have been able to run the race. Instead, I bent a bit and allowed myself to skip one run to take an extra day of rest and the result was that my injury flare up went away AND I had an AMAZING long run! The same applies for other instances and events in life; if we take a step back and look at the greater picture, we can allow ourselves the “bend” that may avoid the “break”.
How many times have you argued with a friend, co-worker, partner, family member and no matter how the argument unfolds, you REFUSE to waver in your stance (even though you might be incorrect)??? You do not want to lose the argument so you stick to your guns and keep pushing the same agenda regardless of what the other party says in return. What happens in the end? Well lots of things could happen (loss of relationship, further arguments, it gets physical) but the bottom line is: nothing good.
Have you ever been on a “diet” that omits a food/drink item, or entire food group? At the start you are hellbent on sticking to the “diet” and obeying every last rule. You deny yourself that particular food/drink and all of a sudden the temptation for this item grows tenfold. After a certain period of time, you snap. You can’t take it anymore, you HAVE to eat/drink ____!!!! (you fill in the blank). What happens after you indulge? Well aside from probably having a stomach ache, you feel guilty, defeated, weak, angry, sad, the list goes on and on.
My point is that with a small pause and consideration for the bigger picture, more things come into focus and ways in which you can “bend” may come to fruition. Bending a little now could save the painful “break” later, and will ultimately keep you chugging along toward your goal.
Have you ever had to “bend” to avoid the “break”?
When people get to their “breaking point” with anything- a relationship, a job, a fitness routine, a diet, a task in general- they have likely been unhappy for quite some time. Stress, dissatisfaction, resentment, aggravation and unhappiness build up over a period of time (could be days, months, or years) and finally at some point, something causes it all to come crashing down. After trying to stay upright and rigid for too long, the stress becomes too much and the result is that it’s in pieces on the floor.
I truly believe that in most cases this detrimental “break” can be avoided by “bending” a bit, as I did with my half marathon training. In that instance, I could’ve stubbornly stuck to my program (even though I had an injury flare up) and kept running, but I likely would’ve exacerbated my injury and may not have been able to run the race. Instead, I bent a bit and allowed myself to skip one run to take an extra day of rest and the result was that my injury flare up went away AND I had an AMAZING long run! The same applies for other instances and events in life; if we take a step back and look at the greater picture, we can allow ourselves the “bend” that may avoid the “break”.
How many times have you argued with a friend, co-worker, partner, family member and no matter how the argument unfolds, you REFUSE to waver in your stance (even though you might be incorrect)??? You do not want to lose the argument so you stick to your guns and keep pushing the same agenda regardless of what the other party says in return. What happens in the end? Well lots of things could happen (loss of relationship, further arguments, it gets physical) but the bottom line is: nothing good.
Have you ever been on a “diet” that omits a food/drink item, or entire food group? At the start you are hellbent on sticking to the “diet” and obeying every last rule. You deny yourself that particular food/drink and all of a sudden the temptation for this item grows tenfold. After a certain period of time, you snap. You can’t take it anymore, you HAVE to eat/drink ____!!!! (you fill in the blank). What happens after you indulge? Well aside from probably having a stomach ache, you feel guilty, defeated, weak, angry, sad, the list goes on and on.
My point is that with a small pause and consideration for the bigger picture, more things come into focus and ways in which you can “bend” may come to fruition. Bending a little now could save the painful “break” later, and will ultimately keep you chugging along toward your goal.
Have you ever had to “bend” to avoid the “break”?
RSS Feed
