I’m not usually in a funk. In fact, most would say that I’m way too optimistic. But this week, I’ve felt a bit lost, disappointed, frustrated and sad. It’s not a place I like to be.
On Tuesday morning, I was traveling down to Palm Springs for a week of bike riding and fun with friends. As I walked out to my packed car, my heart stopped. My two racing bikes, which were mounted and locked to the back of my car, were gone. Stolen!
For any non-cyclists, your bikes are your steeds. Mine were a perfect duo for my training and racing. Just the day before, as I was backing out of a friend’s garage I asked if the rear end of my car was clearing the sides of the garage walls. I told my friend, “I don’t care about the car; I just care about my bikes.”
Then less than 18 hours later, I sat staring at my car and my empty bike rack. I was in shock; $7,500 gone. Poof! As it sank in, the feeling of despair gripped me. The fact is that my living expenses are more than double what they were a year ago due to my move to California. So to say that buying new bikes was not in the financial plan is an understatement of epic proportions.
My thoughts raced…my triathlon season is just getting started…I’ve paid over $1,000 in race registration fees already…crap…I’ve committed to Ironman Lake Tahoe…I’m coaching an Ironman team…I need my bikes…this sucks…how am I going to afford a new bike…I love my bikes…I don’t have enough money…what am I going to do? Damn, this sucks!
All this week, I did my best to move past my sadness and the feelings of despair that washed over me, but the weight kept returning. Yesterday, I decided enough was enough.
On my drive back up to San Francisco, I started constructing a plan. I could use the Time-Out Method to get past my emotional distress and figure out a way out of this mess.
The Time-Out Method is something we cover in our Life-Balance Time Management Program. In my own pity party, I had let my problems get the best of me. I should have spent less time lamenting and more time coming up with a constructive plan, and the Time-Out Method was the way to get me there. It’s an advanced brainstorming practice that is best used for dealing with difficult problems. And my missing steeds definitely qualified! The idea is simple. You sequester yourself in a space where you are alone and without distractions. The easiest way to do this is to have a pad of paper and a pen (since typing into your laptop would give you the temptation to distract yourself) and an empty room to sit in. No cell phones, no computer, no interruptions.
At the top of the first page on the pad of paper, you write out the question that is troubling you. In my case, “How am I going to replace my bikes without feeling like I’m having a financial meltdown?”
The next part is where the rubber meets the road. You spend the next few hours coming up with possible solutions. The obvious ones “like robbing a bank” or “begging on the street corner” bubble to the surface immediately. At this stage, you are not judging the efficacy of the solutions, you are simply recording them. There will be time for judging later. The idea is to work past the common solutions that readily come to mind (usually in the first twenty to thirty minutes) and dig down deeper. It gets harder, but think of it as digging for gold…the good stuff is usually not right where you can see it. You need to get creative. Going deeper takes discipline and focus and it’s important to go there. After the excavation work is completed, it’s time to review and figure out a game plan for the solutions that can be implemented.
Yes, I would use the Time-Out Method (Read more about it here). It has served me in the past, and it can serve me now in my time of need.
Realizing that I was regaining a sense of control, my burden immediately felt lighter. Hope and energy was returning. And ironically (as is often the case) on my car stereo, the perfect song came on. The lyrics of Johnny Nash cascaded me, and I started singing along:
I can see clearly now, the rain is gone,
I can see all obstacles in my way
Gone are the dark clouds that had me blind
It’s gonna be a bright (bright), bright (bright)
Sun-Shiny day.
I think I can make it now, the pain is gone
All of the bad feelings have disappeared
Here is the rainbow I’ve been praying for
It’s gonna be a bright (bright), bright (bright)
Sun-Shiny day.
Look all around, there’s nothing but blue skies
Look straight ahead, nothing but blue skies
I can see clearly now, the rain is gone,
I can see all obstacles in my way
Gone are the dark clouds that had me blind
It’s gonna be a bright (bright), bright (bright)
Sun-Shiny day.
* Addendum To The Story: The good news is I bought a new bike this week and received 0% interest financing for 12 months through a financing option offered by the bike shop. I now need to implement my plan so I can cover the expense without feeling the pinch!
