When times get tough, flip the tire!
When times get tough...
...put on your gloves and flip the tire.
Being the human being that I am, there are times where I fall completely and deeply down a nasty and dark, rabbit hole of limiting beliefs and brutal self-talk.
I know every single one of you can relate to this, especially since you work for yourself as a Speaker, Author and Coach...
Needless to say, business life isn’t always peachy and magical.
Shit gets real challenging, real fast, folks.
And sometimes, the overwhelm takes over our consciousness, and we become shells of our former, productive selves for a short period of time.
Aside from giving myself a chance to “burp out the bullshit” by venting or seeking council from my colleague and friends, the way that I combat these paralyzing thoughts is by getting my ass in motion, which usually involves an unwanted, but much needed, visit to the gym.
And by forcing myself, I literally mean that I have to argue with that lil’ lazy ass devil sitting on my shoulder to keep him quiet so that I can put one foot in front of the other and end up at the gym.
Now, I’m not a Cross-fit or some other, exotic, trendy - read: expensive - workout guy.
I’ve been a meat and potatoes, straight-forward, gym-goer since I started exercising about 20 years ago.
But, I recently discovered a new wrinkle for my exercise plan.
Basically, I was bored with the treadmill/freeweights/machines triad of blahhhhh, so, I sought to spice things up.
In the stretching area, there is this gigantic, tractor tire sitting upright and untouched. It's been sitting there ever since I joined this gym 10 years ago.
I figured that that would be an interesting workout, so, I bought myself some construction gloves and began to do a tire flipping routine a couple times a week to compliment my weightlifting workouts.
As I started this practice, I noticed that not only was this a straight-up, ass-kicking of a workout - it’s about 200lb. of rubber - but, I felt my spirit, mood and motivation elevated every time that I would make it through the gauntlet.
Now, I understand the chemical reasons why exercise elevates my mood with the production of endorphins, but, when you haven’t received that rush in a while, it’s really nice to re-visit.
I tire flip about 3-4 times per week now, and, it kicks my ass every single time. There are days that I feel like my body is not ready for the workload, but, I push myself to get my ass in front of that tire and go to work.
If I can get myself there, then the rest takes care of itself.
My tire flipping routine has transformed from simply serving as a kick-ass workout to an ideal metaphor for getting myself over the hump and getting back on track with whatever I'm doing.
I’ve caught myself several times mumbling aloud, “flip the tire,” when I’ve allowed my train of thought to go to a negative and paralyzing place - and, that subtle shift in mindset has been enough to shake my negativity loose on many occasions.
Sure, it may seem simple and trite, but, what I’ve discovered as a business owner the past couple years is that simple and trite, oftentimes, does the trick.
Quite frankly, whatever you need to do to get yourself motivated and in action, then do it, because no one else is going to do it for you.
Not feeling good about an upcoming talk? Flip the tire, and get back to working on the parts you’re not happy with.
Nervous about an upcoming call with a potential client? Flip the tire, and look that person up on social to get some information into explaining who they are.
Thinking about offering a new service but feel overwhelmed? Flip the tire, and work out the idea one step at a time.
When you feel less than, force yourself to flip the tire and remember who you are, who you serve, and why you do what you do…
...they need you to flip that tire sooner rather than later, :)
So...
What does “flipping the tire” look like in your life?
PS - For those of you who aren’t in the know, I mail out these blogs 3x a week, and lemme tell you, they’re a real party, so, if you’d like to get in on this, sign up for it here and I’ll throw in a free gift for you, because I care, :)