I lost my sister – my only sibling – to cancer a few years ago. She was an elementary school teacher and every now and then I recall some of her excellent teaching qualities.
On one occasion in particular, she was swimming in her pool accompanied by her two young daughters. The two girls were attempting to abandon their swim floaties while venturing into the deeper end of the pool. As they struggled a bit, she told them “if you find yourself sinking, take a deep breath and when you reach the bottom, push up strongly and you’ll get to the surface. Then you can keep swimming or get over to the side of the pool.”
We all lose buoyancy sometimes. We hit a rough spot, experience a setback or outright fail and become temporarily immobilized – or even worse paralyzed. We may be able to tread water for a while, and if we’re really fortunate, somebody will throw us a life preserver; otherwise we beeline for the bottom.
How do you push yourself up when you’ve hit a rough spot? Consult with a coach, call in family member? Self-talk or a specific behavioral strategy?
If we haven’t ventured out where it is way deep, the bottom is pretty close by, but we have to possess awareness and a willingness to thrust ourselves upward if we wind up there. Otherwise, we become silt.
