By the Same Time Tomorrow

Have you ever been challenged with doing something you definitely did not want to do? Not so much from a stubborn/lazy approach, but from a “this makes me so nervous” attitude that you would rather do anything else but this one thing. Perhaps it is a trip to the dentist that you despise, a presentation to an ownership group, a meeting with your team to talk about layoffs, a conversation with an irate customer or a trip to the hospital for surgery. Of all of these things, the last item is my least favorite thing in the entire world. Since I was 12 years old and went through a botched nose surgery, I have been deathly afraid of surgery. This coupled with seeing my neighbor literally pass away in a friend’s garage a few weeks later did not help my mental stability. When I look at this fear rationally, all should be fine. Medicine has improved tremendously over the past 30 years, and the pain I am dealing with currently is unbearable without correction. Part of one’s normal approach might be to look at the possible negatives of a procedure, or the negatives of any anxious situation. Today I am doing my best to turn my thoughts up to the sunshine, not down where I can’t see the shadows, so I can focus on recovery and positive results.

So next time a situation arises that you’re not fond of, grit your teeth, pull up your boots and get to work. Imagine your sense of accomplishment when it is over — having cleaner teeth, a satisfied owner, an understanding team, a calm customer or a pain-free neck and back. The actual length of time of being uncomfortable may be only a few seconds, yet the fear leading up to the event can seem like years. By the same time tomorrow, when you read this, I will have completed neck surgery with fusion for two of my disks. What was all the worry about?

MPD: Tackle a few seconds of uncomfortableness and fear to reap the rewards of accomplishment!