Brake the Damn Box

Life has a way of kicking you in the ass. No sooner did I post that I was ready to step back into the alpine climbing game then two days later I found out that the shoulder that has been bugging me is actually a torn rotator cuff, with a possible six-month recovery period. Not only does that put my expedition to Pakistan at risk, it also means that as a self-employed tile contractor I can’t lay tile.

“Why me? Why now? Oh, Oh poor me!” That is how I felt last night when I found out. I felt totally defeated. I couldn’t sleep because I was worrying about how to pay for the bills or just pay for life in general. And what about Pakistan? My climbing partner Doug and I have been planning the climb for a couple years now, and with the peak sitting at 7,600 meters, I looked at it as a necessary step in my quest to realize a super project I’m planning in the future. 

That was yesterday and I have cried about it long enough. Today the sun is out, it’s a beautiful warm winter day, and I have a new perspective. It is my choice how I view my current situation, and I have the power to put it into whatever context I choose.

A golden opportunity is how I choose to look at it. The situation is making me get out of my box, and getting out of one’s box is always a good thing. First of all, my day job, I hate it! Now I am being forced to look into new career paths, which is exciting and scary! And what about Pakistan? Well, I’m still planning on going to Pakistan in June, and this gives me a great chance to try some new training cycles that I have been thinking about. I look forward to the challenges ahead and I feel fortunate that I have to step out of my box. As a matter of fact, I plan on throwing that damn box away so I can never go back to it. Everything is a step forward! So just like my childhood hero, Steve Austin, I plan to get better, stronger, faster! I’m not saying I’m the Six Million Dollar Man, I’m just saying nobody has ever seen me and the Six Million Dollar Man in the same room together. Onward!