How a forward-thinking mind can keep you staying strong
Opinion
Shlomo Fishman
Capital Recreation is in business to make recreation accessible to all. I am not here to tell you the what, the who, and the when. I am here to support and encourage your positive behaviors. I am a Certified Recreational Therapist (CTRS) breaking down barriers to leisure and recreation participation. This blog is here as a tool to spread my personal thoughts and ideas. But most of all, to create community!
In many ways, this past year has been challenging for all of us. Personally, I have struggled with a few things. In the first few days of lockdown, I did not know if I would be able to work from home. I was working in a fitness center and was unsure what the future was going to look like. Because … who was teaching classes via Zoom at the time? When I was told that I would be going home for the foreseeable future I took all my work stuff, including my laptop and accessories to create a home office. The unknown of what was going to happen had me stirring in my sleep much of March and April 2020. There was this level of fear like walking on the side of a cliff. If I were to make one small misstep, I could fall into the unknown and have a hard time recovering.
After these first few weeks of tremendous anxiousness and teetering on the edge, I reminded myself of a phrase which I learned a long-time ago. I CAN’T NOT SPOKEN HERE! It does not mean that hard times do not exist. On the contrary, hard times will face you in the doorway. Now you need to deploy your tools to get in and set up shop. The light did not turn on right away. I needed to do some repairs to get my internal wiring set up for personal success. It meant I needed to deploy the tools which I could control. That is … my actions, my thoughts, and my reactions. I started making daily task lists and started writing. I found these two things helpful and therapeutic. It allowed me to express my feelings in non-threatening ways and see what I accomplished on a single day. From there, I was able to start my PIVOT.
My PIVOT required me to take an about face. I needed to figure out how I was going to take a role in which I interacted with many people in-person, to a role which was solely on-line. So much work that is done in a fitness center is non-verbal. How was I going to do this all via the internet? Further, what was it going to mean for me to ‘show up’ and be there for the consumer?
This is where I needed to ADAPT. My adaptation to working all on-line hit some massive walls early on. First, I was not sure if I would be able to work from home. The organization I worked for did not have a telework agreement. Second, I was I going to use my space at home to lead group classes and one-on-one sessions. I needed to learn how to use my new workplace environment. I was not ideal, but I made it work. Why? Because of — I CAN’T NOT SPOKEN HERE!!
Which leads me to ADJUST. We were able to get a telework agreement to work from home and able to get started with out new reality. As much as I thought it was not going to be no more than a few weeks, I for myself needed to get myself comfortable with letting go of the things out of my control. Daily adjustments were required. Short-term, mid-term, and long-term goals were made set and reset multiple times – again and again. I needed to maintain clear focus. I needed to stay honest and true to myself. In the end of the day, I am the only one in-charge of the way I feel.
Now that we are here. A year later. Vaccine rollouts across the country and globe, we are going to need to PIVOT, ADAPT, & ADJUST to our new and brighter future ahead. I for one, will continue to be here for you flooding you with positive thoughts and ways to stay ahead of your personal curve. Adapting and adjusting are the ONLY ways you are going to reach, achieve, and crush your personal goals!!
Capital Recreation 