Prepare To Get Back Up
For the past few years I have trained with a women's strength coach who specialises in helping women build functional strength during perimenopause and menopause. It completely changed the way I think about exercise!
Before, I thought exercise was about being fit and healthy, but now I have a vision to build muscle and bone strength for my golden years.
The goal is to have strong legs and arms, strong core and a pelvic floor that both engages and releases. These enable you to do things carry groceries without increasing prolapse risk, lift babies and grandchildren without injuring your back, and overall reducing the risk of falls..
It's probably the strongest I've ever felt. Not because I looked a certain way but because my body has become more capable of living the life I hope to live for decades to come.
As great as that all sounds, I will be totally honest with you: I don’t like strength training. It's hard work. And did I mention we train outdoors, even through the heat and humidity of the Australian summer? Also, my 50-year-old body has a gimpy knee, sore elbows, migraines and just generally doesn’t do all the things it used to be able to do.
Let’s talk about my least favourite exercise: Get-ups
It is exactly what it sounds like. You begin sitting on the ground and then stand up. Again and again. Get back up. Every time it appears on the workout plan, I grumble.
However, one day I know I'll be grateful that I developed the strength to get back up before I needed it.
In our golden years, falls happen and we don’t want to be stuck alone on the floor without the ability to get up.
It struck me one workout, that get-ups are a great metaphor for life and leadership: There are falls ahead. Prepare now to get back up!
Finding ourselves on the proverbial ground shouldn't ever come as a surprise. It’s a normal part of life. And often it experiencing a failure or set-back is a sign that you've been brave enough to attempt something that mattered!
“There is no innovation and creativity without failure. Period.”
Throughout my life and career, I’ve found set-backs and discouragement hard. I thrive with encouragement and support. (Or perhaps I just like when things go easy.)
I tended to see conflict, set-backs and failure as interruptions rather than normal, expected parts of a meaningful life.
No one is exempt from difficult times, discouragement or smack downs. Whether we like it or not, they are inevitable especially if you’re a visionary or pioneer or someone who does things in a new way.
So, I’m wondering what it could look like to prepare for them.
What if we looked ahead and expected difficulty, then began to train for it?
“Fall seven times, stand up eight.”
In life and leadership, our get-ups could look like:
Giving new things a try that will result in failure, to practice experiencing failure more.
Developing a healthy sense of self so criticism becomes a source of learning rather than a threat to identity
Building rhythms of rest before exhaustion forces us to stop
Practising honest conversations in the everyday, so we have the skills when relationships are strained
Learning to see set-backs as wise mentors rather than villains that are trying to hurt us
Practices like these are building capacities that our future selves will need.
Of course, getting back up takes effort and courage. It’s never easy when it happens. It’s usually quite painful. But if we already have the practices and reps, it won’t be as hard to push back up, dust ourselves off and get going again.
“Courage doesn’t always roar. Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying, ‘I will try again tomorrow.’”
We will all experience setbacks, criticism, grief, disappointment and seasons where we lose heart. It is coming.
One day, you'll find yourself on the proverbial floor. When that day comes, be ready.
Prepare to get back up.
And one more thing: Having the strength and skill to get back up isn't just about you. The people you love need you to rise again.
You have a contribution that only you can make. We need you to know how to get back up and keep going!
With you in the journey,
Justine
Reflection:
What would it look like for you to practise getting back up after a setback or failure? What helps you regain the encouragement and energy you need to keep going?