Ham it up!
Good to be connecting in with you again.
Wondering what events were most memorable for you this past week? And what it is you’re remembering about those events?
Hands down for me, what’s most memorable is that I ran a 1/2 marathon last Sunday. My race since the pandemic began. What a sight to see! To head towards the starting line early Sunday morning, and see the streets closed and lined with SO MANY PEOPLE!
And even more people, as I arrived at the starting line and climbed over the railing and into the starting pen. Smashed in good with a few thousand other eager runners.
The starting horn rang out and boom, we were off to the races! The first 1/2 of the race I was on fire 🔥🔥🔥. Holding a very respectable pace.
However … at the halfway mark (around 11K), the sun started to heat up, and I started to feel very worn down. During the race I’d overheard other racers talking about how worn down they too felt, and like me, blamed it all on being out of shape after 2 years of pandemic living.
I never felt so happy to finish a race as that one. Finishing with my slowest time ever in a 1/2. As my good friend Olivia would say, I ran slower than a herd of turtles stampeding through peanut putter.
But I tell you something. That, in NO way stopped me from hamming it up afterwards. Whooping it up and celebrating a most incredible accomplishment.
And that’s the support I wanted to talk about today. Bringing in support AFTER an event or a task.
It is exceedingly easy, after a task is complete. To immediately hone right in on what went wrong & nit pick about performance.
It is human nature actually. To orient to the negative. To what is threatening. Humans would not have evolved as successfully if we were too busy smelling the roses, to notice that a lion was sneak attacking us from the bushes at the side.
No need to beat up on yourself for beating up on yourself.
It takes practice to look back after a task, and orient towards the positive.
One thing you can consider after a task is to HAM IT UP! Ham up what’s good! One good thing that can be showing up after completing a task is positive emotions. Though they may only be showing up in faint glimmers, and drowned out by the tsunami of your critic.
Look out for those glimmers of positive emotions. When you sense a positive emotion arise, ham it up! Stay a while. Open the door a little wider on that feeling. Fan the flame on that glimmer by trying this ...
Name the emotion
Notice how it feels in your body
Does the emotion want to move in your body
Does the emotion have words to say
HAM IT UP!
Oftentimes you’ll have absolute gems of emotions passing through. Emotions like:
🌿Hope
💪🏽Confidence
🦚Pride
☀️Joy
🦒Dignity
💚Compassion
By pausing in, and hamming up these emotions, you’ll get to know each one more closely. And you’ll be able to carry a stronger sense of these emotions forward with you.
These emotions can make your life a whole lot easier. Imagine, the ease of moving through the world carrying more dignity and confidence. How much easier it would be to face difficult tasks with confidence and compassion. And how the people you serve would benefit when you are able to convey more faith and hope in them and their future. Whether that's your clients, your friends, or your children.
How very supportive!
I have a saying from running, and it's to not let up at the top of the hill. Likewise, keep bringing in support even after the job is done. We need it. And it can really help us in sustaining forward momentum.
Hamming it up gooood! At dinner at Giulia's on Elgin celebrating on race day.
Abolutely wearing that medal ALL day long!
Hamming up feelings of pride, joy and satisfaction.