Falling in the Mud

Splat! 

I’m sprawled on my side in the mud, right in front of the timing tent and blocking the transition exit chute.  I had managed to avoid the worst of the mud in the triathlon transition area moving from the swim to the bike, but as I switched from the bike to the run, down I went - very publicly.

I was embarrassed, but unhurt.  I started out on the run, which was now a squishy walk. My first thoughts were “why me?” and then “I hate being dirty” followed by “they shouldn’t have set transition up in the mud!”.  I was deep in victim mode.

Luckily the first water station wasn’t far up the road so I was able to rinse the mud off my hands.  Cleaning my hands helped me clear my mind, and I was able to tap into my inner optimist. My thoughts changed to “I’m really thankful I wasn’t hurt.” “Mud wraps at the spa aren’t cheap and I got this one as a bonus!” “I’ll be able to laugh at this someday.”

One of the ways we invite joy into our lives is by reframing our thoughts.  By embracing the mindset of “It’s not what happens to us, it’s how we handle it” we can find moments of joy even in the mud and dirt of our day.

Like every habit, this one takes repeated practice.  And sometimes it is really hard.  But it doesn’t take mastery of the habit to create a better mindset, just practicing it will help us move to joy.

So when was the last time you fell down - literally or figuratively?  And how can you reframe your mindset around that fall to invite joy into your life?

Pillar: Self-acceptance

Value: Resilience

Micro-habit: Reframe falls from failure to joy