Voices in my head

Have you ever noticed how the subconscious mind seems to keep you on track? Mine tends to nag quietly all day or while I’m sleeping. It can range from little things like trimming the crazy man-eating bushes out front of our house (which may take over the house while we’re gone one day) to important stuff like setting the DVR to record “Deadliest Catch”.

Side Bar: Deadliest Catch is the coolest show on TV. I found it while I was recovering from my piriformis injury last month and now I can’t stop watching it. I sat in front of the tube for almost an entire day watching these guys raise big metal cages (pots) full of ugly crustaceans (crab) from the sea and dump them into a big tank. This all takes place as they try not to die in the freezing Bearing Sea. Fascinating.

Occasionally I’ll get something really important stuck in my mind and, try as I might, it won’t be ignored. It builds and builds as I sidestep the warning signs of not dealing with it and before you know it I’ve let it develop into a real situation. They say life is a balancing act. Sometimes I think the most successful people have learned how to listen effectively to that inner voice to know when it is time to deal or if it can slide few hours more.

Part of triathlon training is that you must learn quickly to tune into that inner voice – or pay the consequences. 8 weeks ago, the voice started letting me know that I was running on fumes. 6 weeks of hard training had taken its toll and it was time to recover. I ignored it. One morning the alarm went off for a 4 AM swim and it told me stay in bed. I ignored it. That night my shoulder started to hurt and I had the sniffles. The next day – a ten mile run. The voice said – cut this one short. I pushed on. The next day my back was so tight I could hardly move. You know the rest.

So what have I learned? Tune in. Find a quiet place in life to listen to your inner voice. Then, reflect and act. I think this holds true in many aspects of life.

See ya out there…