The cold wind will blow and tear the skin from your nose. –Deer Tick

I love my dog.  And because I love my dog, and because no one else will walk him, that chore usually falls on my shoulders (Do I sound bitter?)  Actually, I don’t mind.  After all, the dog is the only one who listens to me in my family!  (There I go again!) 

But seriously, folks….

Earlier this week, the polar vortex took hold in the Washington, DC area.  The wind ripped through our neighborhood, turning a routine dog walk into a frozen fiasco.  At one point, the wind was blowing so hard and the chill was so severe, I had to turn and walk backwards for protection.  My dog was majorly confused!

It offered me temporary relief from the cold, but I couldn’t see where I was going.  Eventually, I lost my footing and stumbled.  And when I finally oriented myself, I had drifted off the path and had to double back towards my house.  The respite from the cold was great at first, but I walked backwards for too long.  Ultimately, I had to work harder to get back on the right track.  And worse, because I had hunkered down for so long, it felt twice as cold when I turned to face the wind.

Taking a break from the cold wind is okay, and sometimes even prudent.  But the longer we avoid the reality of the chill, the harder it is get back on track.  And isn’t that true in our personal and professional lives?

We Can’t Stay in Our Shell Forever

The polar vortex can rapidly descend on our work lives.  Sales can dry up.  Our skills can fail us at crunch time.  The market can tank.  Our clients can abandon ship.  Our teams can crumble.  Our students can lose faith.   Despite all our best efforts, that cold wind still howls down the alley.  We need to protect ourselves.  Sometimes, we need to take a break and regroup.  But we can’t retreat into our shell for too long.

Even when failure is at our doorstep, the world won’t stop for us.  Even in a slump, salespeople still need to make calls.  Even after a subpar performance, athletes still need to train. Even when a product launch fails, entrepreneurs still need to tap new markets.  Even amidst a slew of lost opportunities, rainmakers still need to find new clients.  Even after a loss, coaches still need to find innovative ways to win.  Even when apathy settles in, teachers still need to find new ways to reach their students.   In fact, it is during these cold and windy times that we need to work the hardest!  The longer we stay away from the core principles that made us successful, the harder it is to turn and face that cold wind.

Dealing With Reality Is Never Easy

The same is true in our personal lives.  Strained relationships.  Financial hardship.  Family strife.  It can feel like an unrelenting ice bath of misery.  We want to seek comfort.  We want to curl up and make it stop.  Who can blame us?  Calgon, take us away! 

We may turn to substances to relieve the stress.  We may put up a wall and close ourselves off from the world.  We may ignore the root cause of our stress and blame others.  But how long can this strategy work?  The longer we ignore and bury our pain, the harder it is to address the underlying issues.  And the colder that wind will feel when we finally face forward and deal with our reality.

We Need To Face Forward

There is nothing wrong with taking a break from our stress.  There is nothing wrong with stepping back and protecting ourselves from the elements.  We are not gluttons for punishment. It is not a badge of courage to needlessly endure agony.  Some setbacks and tragedies are more than we can stomach in the moment.  Seeking comfort is not a sign of weakness.

But eventually we are going to have to turn and lean headfirst into that cold wind.  And the longer we shelter in place, the harder it is to face that reality.  Although painful and uncomfortable, when we face forward, we can see our goals in front of us.  We can see our progress.  We can see ourselves inching closer toward home.  We create a tough outer shell of protection.  And that wind doesn’t seem nearly as cold.

Let’s Bring It Home!

We will always have to walk the dog.  We can’t escape the realities of our lives.  But the wind won’t blow forever.   We are not doomed to failure.  We are not doomed to spend our lives in constant struggle.  Winter may be coming.  But every winter that has ever come has ended.

Take a deep breath.  Button up that coat.  And stand up tall to face that cold wind.

Stay resilient.  You’ll be home before you know it.