“You’ve Got to Be Kidding Me!”

TRIP Tip  “You’ve Got to Be Kidding Me!”

Just before the joyous Christmas holidays, I was severely injured in a skiing accident. I was doing something that I had done hundreds of times before, but this time in skiing jargon I “caught and edge” and crashed. In the hours that followed, I discovered my boots weren’t tight enough and the ski bindings didn’t release. Therefore, I broke both of my ankles. Yup, both of them. Think about that for a second.

·      Being a type A personality, single and living alone in a two-story home, my constantly busy lifestyle was suddenly in jeopardy, and I was forced to rely on others              for things I could normally do easily for myself.

·      I couldn’t drive much less walk, so running errands, luncheons and appointments were out.

·      I needed the aid of a walker with wheels and a raised toilet (I know, TMI, LOL!), stuff that my 97-year-old father used…at only 74 I wasn’t ready for that lifestyle!

I awoke the next morning to pain I hadn’t experienced in a while, feeling very down and very sorry for myself. My prospects for the next 2-3 months were dim and  confusing. Additionally, I had committed to a podcast at 10 am and delivered it in the highest spirits I could muster, thank goodness for extra strength Tylenol & Zoom where no one can see below the waist!  Luckily, my son could help me with some things, but he’s got a busy life as well.

On my website and in promotions, I call myself “The Tenacity Expert” and I realized that I had no choice but to walk the walk and talk the talk that I express fervently in my keynotes, YouTube videos and blog postings. This was new territory for me, and honestly, I wasn’t sure how to proceed. Yes, my TRIP Technique ™ was born from an adventurous experience when I became lost in the Himalayas of Nepal, but this was very different. I knew that I exude tenacity, resilience, imagination, and purpose in my daily life, but how was that going to apply to this predicament?

I wanted to dive right in and make decisions and push hard to keep up a workload that I had become accustomed to. But my body complained! It was suffering from a severe trauma and needed rest, good food and supplements, not more training, weightlifting and cardio on my bike…that was all now a distant dream.

I knew this wasn’t life threatening and I’ve had friends who have had more serious injuries than this, but it hadn’t happened to me in a long time. My age was of concern, how quickly would I recover and to what extent. Too many questions, and right now too few answers.

So here I am writing at 4 o'clock on Christmas morning, wide awake, and frustrated, but I start to realize that my TRIP Technique ™ is going to be my salvation. Everything that I have been speaking and writing about is going to be put to the test personally, in my face, immediately and without reservation.  Do I know what that looks like? No, not yet. But I’m going to find out as I go to work laying out my initial game plan.

Over the next few weeks, through my TRIP Tip Newsletter/Video, I’ll take you along on my journey of surgery, recovery, and rehabilitation with what I learn about this new challenge and how to tackle it head on. I hope that what I learn will be of help to you.

Yup, I’m taking a TRIP for a lifetime, this time for myself.

Wish me luck!

Keith……