Stake your claim: Get physical
When I was in my early 20s, I sustained neck injuries that became more and more limiting over the years. By the time I was in my 40s, the pain had gotten debilitating and it was negatively affecting pretty much every area of my life. My physician did not want me to have to undergo the risk of surgery to correct the problem. Instead, he recommended that I start lifting weights in order to strengthen the muscles around the afflicted area and offset the pain and weakness.
What he did not tell me is how profoundly strength training would change me, forever. I am now as strong, both inside and out, as I've ever been. I have virtually no problems with my neck. But the most inspiring consequence of all was my sense of control, empowerment and self-confidence, the likes of which I had never felt before in my life. It is a feeling that I can do anything because my body and my mind will sustain me.
My newfound strength enabled me to perform at a higher level in my corporate banking position while actually spending fewer hours at work and more precious time at home. Over the next year, I orchestrated one of the largest and most complex joint ventures the bank had pursued; I rose from vice president to senior vice president, and my earnings increased by almost 50 percent.
So what's the moral of this story? One of the most powerful ways to launch huge strides in your life is to get physical. That is to say, you want to engage in heart-elevating, sweat-inducing activity that takes you out of your comfort zone, challenges you in new and different ways, and teaches you more about your body and mind than you ever imagined.
Sound difficult? It does not have to be. Here are several simple things that you can do right now:
--With your doctor's OK, choose an athletic activity that is new and challenging for you, such as boxing, strength training or Bikram yoga.
--Make note of the impact on your energy, focus, confidence, strength and more.
--Reinvest your newfound power into something that you want to accomplish at work.
In my experience, structure gives you freedom. I unknowingly created the structure for my new level of success in my company, by building a strong body that I could rely upon. This foundation of strength gave me the freedom to take risks, the mind-set to fully use my talents, and the confidence to ask for what I wanted and deserved. The same will hold true for you.
April Goyer works with professionals who have achieved success and want to build on and sustain it in all areas of their lives. Visit www.aprilgoyer.com or call 614-893-8519.
The Job Coaches are experienced volunteers from the Center for Women's Job Counseling Program. Ask them a question by calling 763-7333 or e-mailing info@c4women.org. If making a counseling appointment, $35 is requested.
