Pushing for results is an outdated mindset, and it’s killing us all.

I recently began experiencing a sharp pain on my outer right leg that began as a nuisance during my HIIT workout class and grew into an acute sensation that I felt throughout my day. 

Initially, I tried to ignore this. I wanted to push through the pain, in favor of progressing with my workout regime. I had just bought an unlimited package, was going every other day, and felt pleased with the results so far. I couldn’t stop now! 

Somewhere between the news from my Physical Therapist that 3-months of rest were in order and the downward spiral of feeling completely out of control of the situation at hand, I had an awakening. 

My body was communicating with me.

“It is time to slow down.”

I often speak about our western culture being overly focused on action and results, to the determent of our own well-being. I guess the message wasn’t landing on my own ears so well. 

There is something that is lost when we are moving a million miles a second, when we fill our mornings with caffeine so we can power through our to-do list and rush from meeting to meeting “to get it all done.” 

There is something forgotten when we are striving to “have it all”, to prove our self-worth based on how many things we can accomplish and the highest number we can score. 

There is something that becomes broken when we actually start to believe that we are nothing if we don’t do something right now. 

We become disconnected with our own inner guide, who is desperately trying to communicate with us. We lose our ability to plant a seed and patiently allow it to grow into the beautiful thing that it was to become. When we keep pushing so hard, we kill the very thing that could bring us the most life. 

It took an injury for me to get the hint, but the message was clear before it became loud. I just needed to slow down to listen.