Type A and the Titanic

My great-grandfather had tickets to cross the Atlantic with his family on its maiden voyage. He was unable to wait for its completion and took the earlier boat— the one that was unable to make it back in time to save the sinking ship.

I often joke about his impatience, crediting this character flaw to my being here

in this lifetime! Thank you, Gammel Morfar, for not waiting.

I recently watched a short documentary on the Titanic and the reasons behind its sinking. There were many, many signs that the boat was in danger, and ill-prepared.

There had been a fire in one of the coal rooms that was not disclosed during the inspection. There were not enough life-rafts on board for half of the passengers. There were several warnings about the ice that they were about to encounter.

They did not slow down, they did not veer off the course, as they were attempting a new record time crossing the Atlantic. The captain had been warned about the impending iceberg, and responded too late.

The rest is history.

The analogy is starkly reminiscent of my own ship sinking this past fall.

I had many signs and warnings that my body needed to slow down, to not forge ahead with such force.

My digestion system was off— had been off for some time.

My thinking was stressed and strained.

And my captain— my stubborn, competitive brain— pushed on.

I believe that many of us do exactly this.

We disregard the warning signs, dismissing them as irritating obstacles, diversions. Like when we drive through the city and need to detour because of street work.

We see our body’s messages as inconvenient truths to be ignored… for now.

We will get to it later.

Just not now.

It’s not a good time.

Surprise!

It is never a good time.

It is never convenient to listen to wisdom.

Wisdom is only sexy in hindsight, when it has been distilled and processed.

We see taking action, moving forward, pushing as attractive.

Pausing is seen as a sign of weakness.

Waiting is interpreted as indecisive, flaky.

Resting is for the weak, unfit, unmotivated.

Interesting research is coming out on sleep needs and productivity. We are seeing a strong correlation between good sleep patterns and innovation, creativity, and problem-solving. Top companies are now instituting sleep beds for their staff to be able to nap when needed.

Personally, I am aware that my problem-solving skills are greatly diminished when I am either stressed and / or tired.

My wish for us all is that we can learn to listen to out bodies before we crash into icebergs, not after.

That we can redefine success on healthier terms.

And that we can help each other pause and find wisdom sexier than striving ahead at all costs.