By Julian J. Varela
Not long ago I spotted a man standing in line at Trader Joe’s with a t-shirt that read, “Get In. Sit Down. Shut Up and Hold On.” Since the phrasing was quite unique I couldn’t help but ask him about it. "Get in, sit down, shut up, and hold on is the catchphrase of the Bali Slingshot located in Indonesia” he said. The slingshot is somewhat of an amusement park attraction with a capsule that accommodates up to two people which is lowered and stretched between two towers by gigantic bungee cords. The cords are stretched to capacity and then the capsule is released and catapulted 164 ft. skyward in less than 2 seconds to maximum height before decelerating into a series of bounces and being lowered back down to its launch pad.” “The t-shirt is right on because there’s nothing you can do except to do as it says; sit down, shut up and hold on, oh, and try not to throw up.”
Like many things in life one thing can be a metaphor for another and the phrase mentioned above is no different. And I think “get in, sit down, shut up and hold on” is a perfect metaphor for overcoming each challenge that we may encounter in life. The thing is, is that we’re all pretty much the same with very slight differences. Each of us may have different obstacles or even the same obstacles but we react to them in our own unique way. You may be trying to give up alcohol and there’s nothing more than a nice cold drink after a long hard day at work. The difficult conversation you’ve been meaning to have with your spouse, co-worker, family or friend is the last thing you want to do. You may want to quit after the first 5 minutes of your run. You may be dieting and really want that delicious plate of brownies that your friend pulled out of the oven. Getting up early for an early morning workout doesn’t sound that fabulous after all. Perhaps procrastination has gotten the best of you and you can’t seem to sit down and write that term paper you’ve been assigned. Or maybe you have a list of sales leads you’ve intended to call and haven’t taken the time. Let’s face it; we are all faced with numerous things on a consistent basis that are difficult or even downright scary. If you want to get through the scariest part sometimes the best thing to do is to get in, sit down, shut up and hold on. Be afraid and do what you have to do anyway. It’s OK to be scared, fearful, anxious, nervous, lazy or ambivalent. Feelings happen and thank goodness you have them. Now just recognize them, accept them and hang on till the feelings subside. Fight through the feelings and do what needs to be done in lieu of them.
Getting in tune with our feelings, emotions and reactions to obstacles and challenges will certainly help you become more pro-active rather than re-active in almost every situation in life. So the next time you find yourself in front of a big, hairy, audacious challenge just remember to “Get In. Sit Down. Shut Up and Hold On.” Oh, and try not to throw up.
Julian J. Varela holds a Master’s degree in Exercise Science and Health Promotion and is a Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist. Julian co-owns Equilibrium Fitness and Equilibrium Fitness for Women. Contact Julian at Julian@eqclubs.com with questions or comments. Follow Julian’s blog at julianvarela.blogspot.com.
