I had back surgery two weeks ago. It was out-patient surgery…micro discectomy and disc decompression surgery. It’s a relatively minor surgery, and yet, I’ve always thought of that term, “minor surgery,” as an oxymoron. I don’t think there is any such thing. This procedure has risks of nerve damage, paralysis, infection, and more.
Two weeks after surgery I feel great. I put this surgery off for four years. I did physical therapy and got cortisone injections. I took lots of Celebrex for the pain. I limited my activities because of pain. Nothing helped. I finally had the surgery, and now I feel great. And I feel a huge sense of relief and pride. This has made me think about why we put things off. Why do I put things off? I see it with my clients. It’s not just me. We put off looking for the job, divorcing the spouse, ending the useless “friendship,” and leaving the town we hate. We procrastinate and hope that things will get better. Or, and this might be even worse, we think we can live with the pain, discomfort, or inconvenience. I often share the story of the frog being put in a pot of water. The story says that when we slowly warm the water, the frog will swim around. When we gradually heat the water to boiling, the frog will boil and die. Whereas, if I dropped a living frog into a pot of boiling water, the frog would jump out immediately and live. That’s how the story goes, anyway. I had gotten so accustomed to my back pain that, to some degree, I was willing to live with it. I accommodated it with changes and adjustments I’d made in my life. I felt I was managing it. I talked to an older woman at my gym one day about 6 months ago. I never talked with her before, and have not seen her since. This was what I call a “God Moment” or a “Divine Intervention”. We talked for about 15 minutes, and got on the topic of my back pain and my two herniated discs. She said, “You’re too young to live with that pain. You need to have that taken care of. You don’t need to have that.” I thought, “She’s right.” I realized I was the frog in the pot of water, and the temperature was rising. I’ve been in that pot of water before. I was raised by a mean and abusive mother who I escaped. I was in a bad marriage for 10 years until I filed for a divorce. I’ve left bad jobs and bad bosses. Sometimes you know it’s time to “do the damn thing” – whatever that damn thing is. Don’t let the water get too warm. When it’s time to “do the damn thing,” take action and move your life forward. You’ll be glad you did. Big hugs, Lisa
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AuthorLisa Liszcz has over 20 years of experience developing leaders and teams in four different global organizations in a variety of industries. In 2014 she became an entrepreneur and is rocking her inner superhero and loving her life like mad. Archives
May 2018
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