THIS WEEK’S FOCUS:
Watch for the Comrades Syndrome – Don’t fall down now!
It’s that time of the year again. No, relax, the next Comrades Ultra-Marathon is only due to be run around mid-2016. Yet, every year at this time, I notice real signs of what I call the Comrades Syndrome.
Each year, several of the runners run over 90 kilometres, enter the stadium, run around the field and, then, just when they enter the final straight, they look up and see the finish line…and fall over! Don’t get me wrong, it’s a massive feat to run that far, and I have massive respect for them. And, of course, thousands pass the finishing line without falling.
Here’s the thing though. Each year around this time, I notice higher stress levels as people have, like the runners, slogged their hearts out for eleven months and are trying desperately to get those outstanding tasks done before the holiday break. They are tired. People around them, like them, are exhausted, and are also trying to get those projects or tasks completed. Patience runs shorter. Irritability rises close to the surface. And then, seemingly all of a sudden, with the end in sight, people start falling down – arguments that would never have happened in the other eleven months, happen now; people just give up on completing their projects and tasks etc. etc. and so forth…
So, this is the time for us all to be more like the runners that complete the Comrades. We need to keep focused on completing our goal – for it is the lapse in focus that makes us fall down! Slow down, if you need to, but complete your individual race. Be mindful of the other runners in the race too – they are exactly where you are and need the same things as you do right now.
So, don’t fall down – just take the next step!
Monday Morning Perspective: “Don’t get sidetracked by people who are not on track.” Unknown
Kind regards,
Lauron
