Anticipation

Sometimes our minds see mountains where there are really mole hills, especially when anxious anticipation is in play.

Over the past couple of weeks I've had a weekly meeting at work that I dread every week. Without getting into details I'm basically spearheading an effort to standardize the use of a particular technology across our division. The other participants in the group are very senior engineers (most more senior than me) whom I have little to no control or leverage over. Despite this I'm expected to drive the team to institutionalize the adoption of technology that many of them would rather not have to deal with.

As the meeting date draws near I begin obsessing over the agenda items. I try to anticipate all the issues and arguments that will arise and how I'll deal with them. I try to be completely prepared for anything because I don't want this particular group to think I'm a fool. Particularly because many in that group will be involved in determining whether or not I get to progress up the company ladder. The morning of the meeting my mind is spinning with various scenarios and agonizing over what I may have forgotten or prepared insufficiently for.

This sounds an awful lot like the run-up to a triathlon doesn't it? You spend tons of time agonizing over your training schedule, your taper approach, your pre/during/post race nutrition, and your gear selections. My wife loves teasing me over the fact that I spend more time obsessing over what goes into my tri-bag than what goes into my suitcase for week long family trips. I have to laugh because she's totally right. And those of you that are OCD like me don't see any problems with this either!

And yet despite all of my obsessing over this meeting I've performed just fine. Many contentious and difficult issues have come up (most of them things I didn't anticipate or prepare for) and yet I've handled each of the issues with calm and controlled ease, coming up with spontaneous solutions or negotiating compromises with the ease of a seasoned politician. My frazzled, overwhelmed "pre game" state is replaced by my intense and focused "game time" state as soon as I enter the room.

I'm able to do this because I've learned to by training for and competing in triathlons. Sure, I'll continue to obsess insessently at ridiculously silly details and scenarios leading up to game time. Did I bring enough clothing? Do I have enough tubes in my tri-bag? What if it rains? Snows? On and on it goes. And yet when I hit the line I'm prepared to accept and deal with whatever the day brings whether I'm fully prepared for it or not.