Our truths are all around us, we receive insight on it all the time. My issue is how I interpret it or even if I consider it at all. Often it’s dismissed or easily passed over as I justify away or argue against it.
Simple truth in running: I have a gps watch I use that collects more information than I’ll ever interpret. In short, in real-time or after a run, I can view my pace, heart rate and elevation changes. This is solid information for training and tracking growth as well as opportunity. Yet after runs I still find ways to dismiss these truths; I ran after work today so I would expect to be slower... I was running with my dog and she was all over the place... The route I ran was much hillier than my normal route... I will quickly glance at the detail I consider important for that run and own it if it’s the truth I want or pull out an excuse that it’s not the truth if it doesn’t match the truth I am looking to confirm.
Simple truth in life: I was listening to a mindfulness podcast one time and the person doing the podcast gave the example of driving. He said he was driving one day when someone abruptly honked and screamed at him saying “you’re a terrible driver!!” Reflecting back on that situation the personal in the podcast thought “maybe I am a terrible driver?” In this situation the truth was coming from an unexpected place at an unexpected time, a situation where I would defend myself, I wouldn’t accept or even acknowledge this interaction as having an ounce of truth.
Simple truth in relationships: typically in relationships we have the opposite issue. We don’t discuss or bring up our truths for fear of acceptance. If I share my truth then you won’t like me. If you know these things about me then our relationship will end. We hide and bury our truths for a future date when it’s “safer” to bring them out. In the meantime we hope certain topics don’t come up that may force a truth out.
What I’ve found for myself is this; if I’m not researching the information surrounding my truth, I’m feeding a story or BS’ing myself. If I am not objectively looking at my gps watch and analyzing the data (truth) it’s because I am avoiding the truth. Why? If I avoid the truth I never need to change, I’m always right, I know I’m faster, I know I can run farther, I know I’m a great driver and I know in time my relationship will be strong enough to handle my truth... for me that’s the definition of potential without action. I have the potential to be faster but that requires me to acknowledge that I’m not there now AND to accept the information and change; train harder, run more, run less, run faster more frequently, train purposefully with a coach and be open to their objective interpretation of my truth(s).
How do I move ahead: accept the truth but recognize it’s a snapshot. Ever make a flip book? Bored in class and draw a simple stick man in the corner, then the next page have his leg extend out a little, then the next page the leg extends a little more. Pretty soon you have 20 pages and when you flip through them the stick man sort of looks like he’s running. That’s taking a snapshot of truth and changing it ever so slightly for the next snapshot. The stick man doesn’t run if you draw the same picture over and over, there has to be change. I don’t get faster if I don’t change my routine, my relationships will always be based on avoidance if I can’t share my truths.
Accept the truth, be the change, today is only a snapshot in many pages of a flip book.
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