Fuelled, Fit and Fired – Stability in Crisis
What do you think when you read the word CRISIS?
We may think of events that have caused major upheaval on a global or national scale, or have impacted businesses. For example, we are continually battling against world hunger and environmental issues and in the last 20 years we have seen the financial markets plummet after 9/11, the collapse of the banks in 2008 and Covid-19. All these events were or are being described as crises and if you look at the dictionary definitions for the word CRISIS then you wouldn’t be persuaded otherwise (e.g. a time of great danger or trouble, often one which threatens to result in unpleasant consequences).
But crises are happening daily, often on a much smaller but equally impactful scale, with the effects being felt on a personal level. It could be the loss of a loved one, issues at work, financial hardship or the breakdown of a relationship; one thing is consistent, it is always “a turning point in the course of anything; decisive or crucial time, stage, or event”.
So how can we set ourselves up for success? Or approach these challenges with a positive outlook.
I hold the belief that when you develop stability, in your professional and personal lives, this delivers a positive reaction towards any situation. Some people may say that I am describing resilience, but there is more to it than that. Resilience is a skill that you can develop, and is defined as “the capacity to recover quickly from the situation at hand”. Stability, in this instance, is the way you live your life. It gives you the energy to take positive steps to address any challenge. It helps you find the solution to the problems you didn’t know you had. If you have a stable foundation, then you can handle any challenge; you don’t build a house on quicksand so why build your life on it?
Ask yourself, how do you consistently get stability in your life? It is not an easy question to answer, is it?
Here is an approach that has worked for me. Let us consider a 3-legged stool, a bit strange I know as I’ve been talking about handling crises, but I promise there is method in my madness. It doesn’t matter how uneven the floor or whether the legs are slightly different lengths a 3-legged stool is always stable. It’s an everyday application of mathematics, where for any three points on an uneven floor there is an even plane that can be drawn between them. It is this principle that makes the 3-legged stool stable and why photographers only use a tripod or a monopod (with their legs acting as the second and third contact points).
With this stability comes consistency and positivity. At any given moment we are happy to sit on the stool, in the knowledge that it won’t wobble, and we can’t fall off. It is this 3-legged approach I take to life with each leg of my proverbial stool representing a positive influence on how I feel, physically, mentally and emotionally. It is this positive energy that gives me the ability to handle everything that life throws at me and in some instances prepare before it happens! It’s like solving a problem that you didn’t know you had.
I thought I would share my three positive influences; they are all things that I am passionate about and have made a big difference to daily life; How I’m FUELLED, remaining FIT and being FIRED up
FUELLED
About 18 months ago I moved onto a predominantly plant-based diet, with only about a quarter of my meals featuring meat and about a third featuring any dairy. There is also very little, if any,
processed food in my diet on a weekly basis and I limit my alcohol intake. My energy levels are now significantly higher which means I am more efficient and effective, creating the time to improve my fitness and invest in my personal development.
FIT
Staying active has always been a challenge for me, particularly since retiring from team sports about 10 years ago. It has taken time to find the right method, one that really inspires me and makes me feel good. I’ve tried the gym and running, but discovering HIIT has been a game changer for me. Thank you, Joe Wicks! The positive vibes I get from completing a HIIT session are amazing. It really gets me…..
FIRED UP
I am curious by nature and love challenging myself to learn new skills, such as writing for an online magazine. The final part of my stability triangle is personal development, which is very different from professional development, and part of the day job. Personal development is about learning about subjects or skills that inspire me, challenge me and help others in the process. It is about making a difference as a person and getting, in the words of Edith S. Childs and the residents of Greenwood, South Carolina, “Fired Up, Ready to Go!”
All three of these areas of life are linked to my personal value statement: “My curiosity is the catalyst to deliver positive experiences”. I know they are right for me, will make a difference to my life and give me the ability to ride the waves rather than try and stop them.
My final question is, what are the three legs making your life stable?