According to Merrian-Webster, the dictionary definition of the word unperturbed is as follows: not worried, upset, or disquieted – not perturbed.
Example: She was unperturbed by the constant interruption.
Regular readers might know that one of my favourite quotes is from Susan Jeffers, “Whatever happens, I’ll handle it.” So when I came across the word unperturbable a few days ago, it seemed like another jigsaw piece of the laid-back, self-assured mindset that I strive to create.
Whilst knowledge is power, it can also be a curse. It’s certainly true that you can learn a lot about yourself by reflecting on your own behaviour, beliefs, actions, lifestyle choices; by considering what things work for you or against. But don’t fall into the trap of using bad choices as an excuse for more, or assuming that an outcome is predestined because of an earlier action.
Years back, when I was in marathon training with my sister, Saturday morning was reserved for our longest runs of the week. This meant that the pizza and Prosecco habit of Friday nights was temporarily put on hold, or at least postponed until Saturday night. It was a conscious choice – we knew that we had to fuel our bodies properly, especially as we went further and further – and in general this really paid off.
But… there were a handful of times over the 6 months, after a long, stressful week, when I cracked. I had my pizza and prosecco, and then ran the next day. Sometimes, this resulted in an uncomfortable run the next day, or the early-onset of stitch. And of course, I could put it down to the previous night’s junk food and tell myself I deserved all I got. The thing is, there were also times when it didn’t effect my performance at all. In fact, some of these runs, the day after a Dominoes binge, were the best runs I’d had in ages.
Why?
Because I’d decided that I was going to have a good run, no matter what.
The motto here is: Even when you’ve made poor choices; even when you’ve taken actions that work against you; even when you’re nowhere near the best version of yourself; you can still do things that will surprise and amaze yourself, simply by choosing to get on with it and ignore everything else.
Learn as much as you can about what makes you tick and incorporate these things into your lifestyle to make you the best version of yourself. At the same time though, cultivate an attitude that allows you to be unperturbable. Know that your mindset is everything. Whilst lifestyle choices can play their part, the depth of their impact is largely based on how much importance we place on them. If you go into a run, for example, certain that you’re going to do badly, then you probably will. If you go into a run, determined that you’re going to enjoy yourself, despite the previous night’s wrongdoings, then you most likely will.
Are you easily perturbed? Do you find that knowing more about yourself allows you to make excuses for yourself? Could you face running the morning after a pizza night? All comments welcome:
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