Is Your Cup Half Full?

“I am sure you are glad 2019 is over”

As we flip the calendar and enter a New Year, it is a time to reflect back and take stock of what has occurred in our lives over the past year and what we want to improve upon in 2020. 

As we approached the New Year, a good friend of mine made a comment that got me thinking about my mindset over the past year. The comment they made was “I am sure that you are glad that 2019 is over”. I obviously looked puzzled as they commented on what a terrible year I had with breaking my leg, followed by my cycling accident and also having to put our dog Wilson down.

I quickly commented back on the fact that I thought I had had a great year in so many ways. I thought of amazing experiences with the family, great health, staying fit, exceeding business goals and our travels to name a few. 

They were puzzled and they asked how could I think I had a great year with all the bad things that occurred  in 2019?

This got me to thinking that it must be my mindset that allows me to somehow overcome negative experiences.  I never once thought that I was having a bad year and in fact I was reflecting back on what a great year I have had and looked at those injuries as very minor setbacks along the way. 

Reflecting back, It got me thinking about what my mindset was when each of these setbacks occurred and how they didn’t seem to get me down in any way.

Grateful for my Skiing Accident In Whistler 

For those that read my blog regularly, you would know that I broke my leg in an off Piste skiing accident last January. I essentially broke my leg in order to stop myself from going over a 100 foot cliff as I was cartwheeling down the backside of Blackcomb Glacier. Although I broke my leg in two spots, my mindset was that I was very lucky as it could have been much worse. If I didn’t stop myself from going over the cliff, I could have easily died. For those that want a refresher on what happened you can access it here:http://kevinbradyhealth.ca/why-do-bad-things-happen/

The mindset I had was that I was super grateful and actually felt that there were “other forces” that helped me get stopped with a comparatively minor injury as it could have been much worse. So although I fractured my leg in two places, I felt very grateful and appreciative which I know some people view as crazy. Following my ski accident I did everything in my power to heal quickly (including continuing to work out every day) as I wanted to ski again before the season ended and also had a 6 day cycling race in Sardegna Italy booked in May. I am pleased to say that I did heal very quickly and I was walking without a cast or crutches within 5 weeks of my fracture. Overall I had a super positive mindset about the entire experience and did not look at it as a negative in any way.

Cycling Accident at Giro Sardegna

You likely are also aware that I had a fairly serious cycling accident in Sardegna Italy on the 3rd day of a 6 day multistage race. I crashed really hard on the pavement while going 47km/hour which resulted in extreme bruising, road rash, bleeding and eventually a massive hematoma which I am still nursing and trying to get rid of.  For those that missed that blog outline the whole experience entitled “Just Get Back On The bike, you can access it here: http://kevinbradyhealth.ca/just-get-back-on-the-bike/ ‎

That injury was so bad and prolonged  that it took me out of my summer Triathlon racing season for the year as I could not train or compete in one race. Once again when I look at my mindset at the time and following the accident, I thought I was very fortunate as it could have been much worse. I could have had much more severe injuries including paralysis and even death. I recall that after doing an inventory of my body while laying on the road, the bike mechanic pulled up to take my bike away and an ambulance came to take me away. After getting a few of my cuts and bleeding cleaned up from the ambulance paramedics, I asked the bike mechanic to bend my de railer back in place so that I could continue on with the remaining 40+km of the race. 

Extreme Sense Of Joy and Happiness

Once I got back on my bike to continue racing and although I was well back from the main pack, I had a sense of extreme joy and happiness as once again I felt like I had been “saved” and the accident and injuries could have been  much worse. Once again I felt so much gratitude and at times while finishing the stage, I had a feeling of overwhelming joy and happiness. 

Are You Seeing the “Silver Lining”?

What I seem to notice as a pattern in my life is that no matter how bad things get or look, I always seem to find the good out of what happened or the “Silver lining”. Some people refer to this as having the glass “half full instead of half empty”.  I have had many setbacks and obstacles in my life as all of us have, but I always seem to either not let them bother me or I feel that whatever occurred, happened for a reason which could include just a learning for me personally. 

Therefore the take away that I think we can all take from this is the importance of always looking at life from a positive mindset based on any experience that happens in life. 

Ironic – Pilot Announcement – landing in Montreal tonight instead of Toronto!

As I write this, I am flying home with Barb and the kids  to Toronto after the Christmas holidays as we are all back to work tomorrow. It is ironic that I am writing this blog on “Positive Mindset” as the pilot just came on and announced that they are having trouble landing in Toronto due to poor weather conditions and we will be landing in Montreal. Once again although I have a full day booked tomorrow and am supposed to fly out to Chicago tomorrow night for business, I somehow have a positive mindset about the situation. My thought pattern is that it  is likely good that we are not landing in Toronto as it is obviously risky or they would not have re routed us to Montreal. Now I have to try to book a hotel  for the family and also flights for tomorrow to get back to work and hopefully Chicago and although it is a pain to say the least, I somehow have a positive mindset about the whole situation. 

The Take Away – Find the Cup “Half Full”

My advice on this topic is to always try to look for the Silver Lining in every potentially negative situation or obstacle you face. As many of you know from past blogs, I believe everything in life happens for a reason even though sometimes it may not be apparent to us at the time. 

So as you approach this new year and new decade, do yourself a favour and always look for the positive or “Silver Lining” in every situation.

Wishing you and your family a happy, healthy and very positive 2020

Yours in great health, Kev