Sudden Stop

I was running on the treadmill at the gym yesterday after work since it's a bit warm to be exercising outside. I was trying to get in some miles in a slightly better climate and was feeling good while increasing my speed to a fairly good pace. Just as I was about to hit the one mile mark, I came to a screeching halt. My body didn't quit on me, but the treadmill had suddenly shut off. I couldn't get it to turn back on, but it became quickly obvious that was not my most immediate problem. My body did not react well to the unexpected halt of momentum and it took me a few minutes to regain my equilibrium. Sadly, my workout was cut short before I hit my intended target and I left the gym disappointed.

A sudden halt to our life's momentum can be just as disorienting. This may be a result of our choices or come from outside influences that we could never accurately predict. Unfortunately, the result will be the same either way. The quick stop will throw off our equilibrium and cause us to take the time to reorient ourselves again before we can move forward. If it is directly connected to our decision making we will either have to make some adaptations to avoid repeating these consequences. If it is something outside of our decisions we'll have to grab onto nearby support and hang on until we feel we can move forward again.

Start & Stop

If your resume described you as someone who starts and stops things, it wouldn't necessarily be seen as a positive character trait. The perception would be of someone who isn't capable of seeing a project to completion or who lacks focus. When channeled properly, however, I believe it would be a valuable asset to say you are an expert at starting and stopping.

There are two key components to making this a positive attribute:

1. Recognizing you can't effectively start something unless you stop something else
2. Developing enough self-awareness to see what must be stopped for you to grow

What do you need to start and stop in your life? Your capacity is limited by the finite number of connectors you possess for relationships, mental energy, productivity, leadership, and serving. To mature we need to have the courage to stop something that might be good so that you can start what is best.

Hit the Brakes

As I sit here on my front porch pondering my daily blog (too many ideas flowing at once) I watched

as a car rolled through the corner stop sign without even touching their brakes. It isn't the first time I've watched cars do this at this supposed "four-way stop." Some of them at least put up a pretense by tapping their brakes while others blatantly ignore the sign and speed through it. I recognize that it's against the law, but my anal-retentive personality won't let me do that in spite of the law. I wish that I could say my diligence in "stopping" was as easy in other areas of my life.

There is value in knowing when to stop-whether it's a break to rest our minds & bodies or the desperate need to cease some habit or activity that's about to cause great damage. I think that we instinctively know when we should, but when we ignore that signal long enough we have a stop sign thrown up in our lives to caution us about what's ahead. You might avoid damage and detection for a while as you keep blowing through this warning, but eventually you'll get caught or cause damage to yourself and others around you. 

We show more wisdom when we slow down and come to a full and complete halt than when we think we are foolishly courageous enough to keep going without causing collateral & personal damage.