Sally Wolf: Our fear is often bigger than a situation warrants

Sally Wolf, CEO and Founder of LightWorks, shared on LinkedIn:

“Last week, I got knocked down hard. Literally.

I went out for a run and went down with a thud on the West Side Highway. My sneaker got caught on a slightly uneven part of pavement and I went flying.

As a new runner, I worried about stamina, not wiping out.

And while I am not a particularly fast runner, I somehow had enough momentum to do legit damage. My elbows and knees still have scabs, plus some truly huge bruises.

And, yet, I’m so grateful to be ok, healing, and realizing my fall feels full of lessons relevant beyond running:

1. Our fear is often bigger than a situation warrants. After lying on the ground worried about my body, I slowly got back up and realized the both/and: I fell AND I was ok.
2. How we frame a situation builds acceptance. While this timing isn’t ideal as I am briefly pausing marathon training to heal, I’m also incredibly lucky. Had this happened before my leg surgery last year, my femur would have almost certainly broken. Badly.
3. Balancing inputs is critical as we move forward. In my case, I was so focused on looking up at everyone else crossing that I missed the uneven ground below me.

While I feel fortunate I’ll be fine, and hopefully running again soon, I’m grateful I’ve been able to slow down this week (including here – Capitol Hill and White House posts to come!).

It’s a lot easier to see the damage and need to rest after a physical fall than it is an emotional or figurative one. But the need for self-care is equally big and valid.

And so important to honor in ourselves and others.

Whether we are on a run or running a company.

Photo: Smiling while scabbed, with my left shin pretty much entirely blueish if you zoom in! So damn lucky…”

Source: Sally Wolf/LinkedIn