I hate to be the one to break the news to you, but we all are going to be hit with hard events as we journey through this adventure called life. Be it: hiking and a physical accident, life with a death in the family, or work with a job layoff; it will happen. And the key to getting to the other side of these events is knowing what you can be doing now to prepare for them.
My hiking impact event was on August 15th, 2013 when I was on a ladder cutting a tree branch with a chain saw. The branch falls on the ladder, I jump, my leg gets caught in the bottom rung; and I’m lying on the ground with my right tibia and fibula broken in several places. I laid on the ground looking at a leg turned sideways; thinking I’ll never walk or hike again without a cane. Two days later I’m home from the hospital, with a titanium rod in my tibia and screws that will be there for the rest of my life. While I was given a plan for the recovery, my thoughts gravitated toward what should I have done before to get ready for this event. It’s not the initial injury that will get us down, but rather it’s if we have been living a healthy life style that will allow us to recover. It’s the: sleeping 7-8 hours a night, eating breakfast, not eating evening ice cream (what??? Rocky Road ice cream isn’t in the core food groups), aiming for your target weight, and having a year-round exercise program. The key is to have a simple exercise program that is sustainable; for me that exercise goal is hiking 3 times per week for a total of 15 miles and 4,000 feet elevation gain or 60 miles and 16,000 feet gain each month. I wasn’t able to initially do this goal, but set it out reach it over time. Having this healthy baseline (and it will vary by person) is key to recovery from injuries.
In life, a hard event we will all face is the death of parents, spouse, and possibility children. As I have walked through the passing of both my parents, my mother-in-law, and brother; I’ve come to realize that one reason we hold on and try to keep them alive is because we have unfinished business with them. Words and actions, we wish we could have shared with them. What are the words, actions, and time you need to do with those around you now? And if there is a deep hurt there, it’s going to take time, effort, energy and likely some pain to get these things right. But it is all worth it. Having made peace with my parents before their passing, I was able to speak at their funerals, and I still remember what I said about their life.
In work, a hard event will be a layoff and I have gone through two of them. Each time, I thought it would never happen to me (I’m too valuable) and I wasn’t prepared enough. For me I had become comfortable in the current job, thought I was a key person, and believed I had skills that everyone would want if I did get let go. Here are the things I’ve learned that I need to be doing now to prepare me for my next job (and the one after that). Resume – updating it and reviewing it on a monthly basis. LinkedIn – creating, updating, and posting on it. Training/Certifications – the more the better; I was able to get my Scrum Master Certification before I was laid off in June, but oh what I would give now to have my PMP Certification. Personal website – helps you take your Brand image to the next level and define who you are and the value you can bring to a company. Face Book – clean it up and check what others are posting about you on their Face Book.
Hard events! We are all going to face them with our health, personal life, and work. And getting to the recovery; starts with what you can be doing now to; get healthy, making peace with family members, and learning new skills in your profession. Make a list of what you need to do and become accountable to those around you. Let’s go from “I wish I would have” to “I’m going to start today to…..”
Al Andersen 