Pacing

 

Recently I have accepted the challenge of drinking a gallon of water each day. A couple of my colleagues started doing it, so I thought that I would jump on the bandwagon and give it a try myself. I logged into Amazon and found the jug I wanted and then eagerly waited for it to be delivered so I could begin my new effort at hydration. When it arrived at my doorstep, I was so excited. I ripped open the box like a kid opening up presents on Christmas. I was amazed that a water bottle could come with so many accessories including a scrubbing brush, extra lids, and extra straws. Honestly, I felt that if I was going to commit to hydration, I needed the Cadillac of water bottles, so I splurged on myself and got the one with timestamps and affirmations to keep me motivated throughout the day. I was so overzealous that I filled it up that first day and drank a full gallon in less than an hour. It wasn't a smart idea because I was pretty waterlogged and I felt sick to my stomach. I almost quit on that day because I didn't follow the instructions that requires you to pace yourself. I guess I learned another valuable lesson that day on the importance of pacing.

We all have those moments in our lives where we get so excited or so focused on something that we don't respect the act of pacing ourselves because we just want to accomplish something. We throw caution to the wind and plow forward because we want that sense of satisfaction and we want it immediately. Unfortunately, we don't take into consideration the impact this type of thinking has on our bodies and mind and we run the risk of getting hurt or burning out, which is the opposite of our original intention. To use an analogy, we are using a sprinter's mindset to run a marathon. It doesn't work.

As an educator, I am guilty of not following the pacing mindset myself and do not do a good job of practicing what I preach in this specific area. Like the gallon jug water challenge, I jump into things with positive intentions and lofty goals, only to go too fast and then resent getting involved in the first place because my initial excitement is replaced by a sense of burden that I committed myself to something that has to get done as soon as possible. I take the joy out of the process and start viewing it as a job that I have to do instead of a goal that I want to achieve. I have to continually remind myself that slow and steady wins the race and it is also a more worthwhile and enjoyable journey. I just need to figure out the pace.

#OwnYourEpic #Connect