For the past several months I have been nursing a shoulder injury. I am accustomed to working through pain but this was different. My mobility has been limited and the pain was so bad, I spent many nights unable to sleep. Life was not going to stop, I still needed to run a business and no way was I not working out, so I found ways around it.
Below are 5 things my shoulder injury taught me about business:
- Each part contributes to the whole. If one part is injured or not functioning well, even if seemingly has nothing to do with the other parts, the whole is affected. You are forced to fix the injury or adjust to accommodate the dysfunction.
- When function is off, focus on form. I could not jump out of bed each morning and crank out push-ups to wake me up. My morning routine and my workouts changed as I focused on form rather than the limited function of my shoulder. I became more aware of doing things well than the volume of reps.
- Innovation. Ideally, I would have loved to just “fix” the injury but it was not that simple. This is also true in business. However, I could not stop working or working out until my shoulder healed, instead I had to get creative. In finding creative ways to continue with life I also discovered new things I like to do.
- Patience. We cannot always barrel through a problem or obstacle, sometimes we have to wait it out. Not easy to do but the waiting does not have to be in vain. As I waited (and continue to wait) for total recovery, I expanded my focus and worked on things that had fallen off my radar.
- Humility. A few times I was brought to tears my searing pain from a wrong movement. Talk about being humbled! Some days I had to take time from work or shorten a workout but life did not fall apart as a result of my humanity.
I have not enjoyed being injured but in many ways I have emerged stronger. In the same way, a problem or breakdown in your business or on your job does not have to be terminal. Often problems can expose gaps or areas of neglect and in the end you not only heal the injury but the whole.
How about you? Have you ever been injured? How did it change you?
karen says
Hi Keith! lol, it wasn’t you who was missing it was me. Like a bear I woke up from my winter’s nap last week and remembered that I have a blog! 🙂 Amazing how many have shoulder injuries. Mine was from weight lifting too and I have really had to get creative which is never a bad thing. Glad you recovered, gives me hope!
Keith Davis says
Hi Karen
I’ve been visiting fairly regularly but appear to have missed a number of your posts… not sure how!
Know exactly what you mean when you say…
“Each part contributes to the whole. If one part is injured or not functioning well, even if seemingly has nothing to do with the other parts”
Particularly true for shoulders, which are a fairly injury prone joint.
You’ve hit the nail on the head with “patience”.
I injured my shoulder weight lifting and had to go back to a beginners routine for months.
Was well worth it, everything is fine now.
Keep up the press ups.
.-= Keith Davis´s last blog ..A helping hand… =-.
Michele | aka Raw Juice Girl says
Gosh, Karen, life has been so crazy I didn’t realize you’d been injured! Not sure how I missed that info – but I’m so sorry you’ve had to go through this.
Yes, I’ve been injured. You know a lot of my story. I barely survived domestic violence and have had to endure a lot of pain from those injuries. I still suffer with my back (daily) and also have gone through surgeries – including one where a doctor accidentally punctured my colon – so, yes, I know about pain. It isn’t fun!
And it really isn’t fun when you have to keep things rolling, regardless of how badly you’re hurting.
Kudos to you for finding ways to work around – and through! – your injury and I hope you’re feeling well soon!!! 😀
Great tips, too!
Big hugs,
Michele
.-= Michele | aka Raw Juice Girl´s last blog ..Sun-Dried Tomato Hummus Recipe + Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution =-.
Debbie Yost says
Injuries? Not really. But unexpected challenges in life. Absolutely. And you are right, it really does make you stronger. It’s amazing how, when faced with something you really do find the strength to face it and all those little cliches have new meaning!
I’m glad you’re feeling better.
.-= Debbie Yost´s last blog ..Using Personality Survey to Improve Business Relations =-.
Meryl K Evans says
Karen, it’s great how you turned a frustration into a good thing. Oh, I learned lots from my torn ligament in my right thumb injury in late 2008. It was incredible how much I relied on that hand even though I’m a lefty.
Six weeks — absolutely no exercise because the shaking would jerk the thumb. Even my stepper — where legs do all the work and hands rest — I’ve caught my thumb on the handlebar. So I’m glad I listened. It was winter, so hardly any desire to take a stroll outside except to walk the dog.
Lesson learned: Don’t go diving for a tennis ball with thumb outstretched. 🙂
.-= Meryl K Evans´s last blog ..Guest Post: Required – The Crappy First Draft =-.
Andrew Heaton says
Karen,
Having never experienced any form on unbearable physical injury myself, I can’t pretend to understand what you must have been going through with your recent injury.
Nevertheless, I am very glad to hear that you have been able to adjust your lifestyle and even derive some invaluable lessons from the experience.
I suppose the one experience I would relate in this regard is my back. Basically, I was born with scoliosis, an abnormal curve in the lower part of my back which causes my back to intersect with the hip joints on a strange angle. As a result, my whole body is unbalanced, and I appear to walk with a bit of a limp.
Whilst it does hurt a little bit, but I have learned to live with it and it does not stop me from doing most of the things that I like (that said, it does make heavy lifting difficult, and it does affect my sense of balance). But what strikes me most is how often others comment on it. Some are amazed when I tell them that I play cricket and often times I have complete strangers ask me whether or not I am limping. Yet in Korea, I hiked mountains many times and was very active physically.
What I have learned from responses toward my problem is not to place too many limitations in ones expectation toward others who appear to suffer from a physical disability. Also, not to mention what appears to be a disability to the person involved. I just want to forget about the problems with my back, focus on the 95% of me which is healthy, and get on with life. Though I smile and try to be polite, I get quite frustrated when people bring it up.
The lesson: don’t underestimate
.-= Andrew Heaton´s last blog ..Toyota part 1: Where it all went wrong =-.
karen says
Hi Brad! lol, I can totally relate. I was in such pain that I could not sleep at night and finally broke down and took an Aleve. Since I never, ever take medicine it was humbling. I remember your time of injury and you were your typical sunny self. I love your summary about character and organization. It’s a subject I’ve been thinking about deeply these days and wanting to help organizations to do a better job of letting that character drive their internal communications. Thank you Brad for always adding value to the discussion and most importantly for friendship – I really appreciate you!
Brad Shorr says
Hi Karen, So sorry to hear you are struggling with an injury. In characteristic fashion, you are turning a negative into a positive by virtue of your exuberant approach to life. This is a topic I can relate to: I spent the better part of 2008 and 2009 from a seemingly endless series of physical issues. Physical pain can really eat at you mentally. For awhile I started to turn into Dr. Gregory House (although I hasten to add it was aspirin, not Vicodin). Anyway, if I could sum up everything you said in your post, what we can learn from suffering is that character is at the heart of any business. It takes character to turn a negative into a positive, to persevere when it would be easy and even excusable to give up. Some organizations encounter trouble and fold. Others survive. A few thrive. What’s the difference – the collective character of the organization.