Best Injury Prevention Con't
The best injury prevention is your mindset. I’m not sure if this is what you were expecting or if this statement sounds oversimplified but I’ll relate a quick story testifying to this personal truth.
When I was training in the circus school I was very lucky to be surrounded by coaches, medical staff, and access to hospitals and rehabilitation facilities. The irony of the situation was that I often found myself needing a band-aid over some part of my body. If my ankle wasn’t recovering from a sprain, then my back was in spasm. If my neck wasn’t sore and stuck, then I was plagued with the latest seasonal flu. It was a circular type of affliction, a merry-go-round of injuries and illnesses.
The eye-opening experience came when I left on tour finally as a professional performer. On tour you don’t have the luxury of being pampered with emergency services, on-staff therapists, and most importantly, time off. You perform out of sheer necessity, and especially in smaller casts, there are no backups and no understudies. Just you.
I never once missed a touring show ever for an injury or a cold. I remember thinking at the end of a year long tour once that I was only sick once and that was because of some bad water in Mexico. But I never hurt myself. I was fascinated and puzzled by that fact since what I was doing involved extreme acrobatics, heights, and plenty of exhausting touring.
The only answer I figured out was that injury prevention was entirely a product of necessity and will. I couldn’t get injured because 1) no one could replace me and 2) I wouldn’t get paid. (Forget workers compensation!) And so, out of sheer will, I stayed healthy.
But aren’t some injuries fluke accidents? I can’t answer that. I think yes… and I also think the majority of injuries serve a purpose. It may be there to slow you down or help you realize a very important aspect of your life. The meanings are as varied as the injuries, but uncovering its message requires artful observation and most importantly, honesty with oneself. It’s easy to deny an ugly truth, and sometimes only an injury can jar you and create awareness.
Like I said in the last post, there are many physical remedies to raise your chances of preventing injuries, like sleeping enough, eating well, taking your vitamins. Beyond the obvious physical preparations, think of all the reasons why you would benefit from an injury. That’s right. I said “benefit.” It’s a twist on perceiving injuries, a change in the way we think of injuries. If you realize what you can “get” from being injured, then you are already 50% there to preventing it.
Health and Peace,
Alvin.
PS: The ENERGY Accelerator book will not be available for another few weeks. That’s why, as I mentioned in the email, we’re going to be making our 5-Part FLIP Matrix e-course available this Friday.
