I told a friend yesterday that a major part of my life was missing. I used to run on angst and anxiety – it was the fuel for my sense of urgency. Now, I don’t have it. Since I’ve lost the weight and am exercising a lot, my blood pressure is down, my resting heartbeat is low, and my angst is waning. “So this is good, right?” Well you’d think so, but in reality – it is kind of freaky. I depended on my stress from a motivational perspective. Perhaps this is akin to the empty nester syndrome. Those parents whose major source of stress is now in college or away miss something. (“Eating a lot was like your child?” That sounds strange, but in a way, eating was a friend, and it has changed and that’s a different way to live.)
Landscapes change. People die. Kids are born. Businesses succeed and businesses fail. Everything we take for granted in life will change at some point. I was talking at lunch with Tom about carpet. We always get the line from the supplier of carpet (or paint), “This will never change”… and so we buy it. Then, they change it the next year, and it is no longer available. Yep, there is no constant in life except change.
So I don’t have stress to fuel my energy anymore. This is good. I probably won’t die of a heart attack when trying to get people motivated on trying something new. The more I get excited about just life and look at everything through the lens of a healthy person lacking stress—the more excited I get about all the possibilities.
Iowa Specialty Hospitals and Clinics is changing daily. We are experiencing highs and lows and sometimes, it feels like a lot, but if we choose our attitude as one of hope and health and look at change in a good way (“Tom, maybe the new carpet or paint is better than what we have now!”) as opposed to anger, we can all breathe easier. I love my new life – I just have to get used to fueling my sense of urgency differently.
-Steve Simonin, Presdient & CEO
