Analogy: Poison Ivy

Over the past two years, I’ve gotten poison ivy 2-3 times. Usually it appears as a patch on my leg or arm, itches severely, and sticks around for a few weeks. Even when I’m completely healthy, am exercising regularly, and feel rested - all I can think about is the area of poison ivy. It’s a mental game just as much as it is a physical nuisance.

As my mind focused on poison ivy, even when the rest of me was healthy, I’ve come to realize that we do this in many areas of our lives. When building a business, it’s common to only pay attention to the one area that is “on fire.” In a relationship, it’s easy to get caught up on one disagreement or contrast in thought.

We, as humans, are all at some level, programmed to focus on what we can fix. We seek out problems/issues and when there are none, sometimes we make them up. It may sound cheesy, but we miss the beauty. I’m super guilty of this.

The past 7-8 months, I’ve been forcing myself to zoom out a couple times a month to try and look past the “poison ivy” in certain situations. I spend more time alone, write, read a little, and run with the goal of looking past what’s “on fire.” A self assessment, I guess.

I’m not sure there’s a grand fix to this, but hope this drives some thought for you.

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If you know someone that would enjoy reading each Monday & Friday, please feel free to share! If not, that’s okay too.

TJ