Ant Hill or a Mountain?

Recently I sustained an injury that’s going to keep me out of commission for a while. As I went through the journey of the injury happening to be getting the MRI results and the news of surgery, it may sound strange and dramatic, it’s almost like I went through the 5 stages of grief. I always thought the stages of grief represented our process when we lost someone so I have asked myself why would I be moving through a mini version of denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance?

The reality was that when I heard the news I went immediately to everything I was losing. I felt like I was dealing with a loss of a part of myself because of how much being active means to me. No more workouts for a short period of time and even when I get back to some type of activity it will not be the same. Short-term I can’t play catch or shoot hoops with the kids. I can’t drive them to school or practice. Coaching basketball and baseball will be a little different for the short-term. I invite you to play the smallest violin at this point 😊.

I was consumed in the moment and for the first couple of days really struggled to zoom out for the bigger picture view I needed. Yes, there are some short-term challenges, but it is simply a bump in the road. I have the power to decide whether this challenge ahead is an ant hill or a mountain. While there is a physical element to my situation, the main difference between the ant hill and mountain simply comes down to mindset.

Think of the different ways I can see my situation:

  • I can’t play the same with my kids as before turns into…what other ways can I engage with my kids in ways I don’t traditionally do?
  • I can’t workout the same turns into…what can I learn about my body from this experience to be stronger and more educated for the future?
  • I have to work from home the week few weeks turns into…there’s an opportunity to expand the way I connect and interact with my team and co-workers.
  • I can’t drive short-term turns into…well admittedly I’m still trying to work this one through and hope I don’t drive my wife crazy 😊.

It’s normal when something is taken from us for the focus to go strictly to what we’re losing. In fact, I think to some degree we need a little bit of this time. But when the forces continue to pull towards the negativity and we focus solely on what’s lost, we need to find ways to zoom out and start gathering a more holistic perspective. When we’re so far in the details and engrained in whatever loss is taking place, the ant hill sometimes appears as a mountain. When we take the time to zoom out and gain perspective, we realize we’re facing only an ant hill of a problem.

The ability to gain a holistic perspective is key in so many situations in life and believe it’s a critical part when facing a hurdle life throws at you. Check out a few of my favorite ways to reset your mind to a more holistic perspective:

The ant hill can just be an ant hill – let’s not make it a mountain.

Take your step: think through a struggle you’ve been having where it’s hard to get away from the negativity of the situation. Focus your next step solely around perspective. Leverage some thoughts above or pull out a tool from your toolbox to step away from the situation and change the perspective you’re currently looking at your challenge. How are you reframing your struggle to find opportunity to grow? Keep pushing yourself to find a new perspective and uncover the opportunities that lie within this moment to make even the smallest step of progress forward.