Fall is always the time when I put writing plans in motion, likely a carryover from the school year schedule, coupled with the promise of crisper weather. While I love the resulting excitement and momentum, a certain amount of caution is advisable.
This year, my pup, Misha, hurt his paw five weeks in a row. While there was one repeat toenail injury, the others involved other toenails, a slashed pad, and a cut on top of the toe that had already gotten hammered twice.
“Baby Dog,” I told my six-year-old pup. “Slow your roll.”
He didn’t listen. Typical.
Since two of the injuries happened while playing ball, I resolved that we wouldn’t do that for at least four to six weeks so that everything could completely heal up. Three days later, he got his fifth injury while out on a trail walk. He wasn’t even scrambling up a rock pile in search of a critter, which had accounted for two of the other wounds.
As anyone who knows me will attest, I’m all for enthusiasm. But sometimes, there are limits. I think we all know that. We also know there’s a price to pay for jumping in with such abandon.
I’m well aware of what happens to me when I get to that stage. I get sick. Even if I don’t get sick, my body literally feels pain from my fingertips to my toes.
Each time, I promise myself I won’t push that hard again. And the next time, I immerse, work crazy, long hours, and wind up in the same condition(s).
If that overused definition of insanity—doing things the same way and expecting different results—is coming to mind, you’re not alone.
Ironically, I realized quite a while ago that 99 percent of the pressure I feel is self-imposed. That’s true for most of my writing coach clients as well. And yet, despite the best of intentions and the firmest resolutions, we continue to press to our own detriment.
So, the next time you feel like you might need to back off and slow down a bit, slow your roll. That doesn’t mean you can’t think about your project. You can even make notes or dictate into your phone. But you don’t have to push yourself to the point where you pay a price.
I repeat. Slow your roll. That doesn’t mean stopping. Far from it. Slowing your roll will help ensure that you can continue for as long as you want or as long as it takes.
I love how our dogs mirror what we need in our lives! I’ve experienced this so many times as well.