Rip It OFF!

We more than likely wore them more as a child. Some wear them more frequently than others.? They came in different colors, patterns, and sizes.? Some had superheroes on them, and others were plain.? You probably got one after a shot, cut your finger, or after you fell and skinned your knee.? You might have no idea of what I am referring to, however I am referring to band-aids.? Just like many things in life, some are better than others and some have more adhesive than others.? They make your boo-boo feel better, however at some point you have to take them OFF.? The old saying goes it is better to rip the band-aid OFF versus taking your time to pull it off slowly.? Both hurt, however one hurts longer.? Let’s look at what we can learn from ripping it OFF:

Ouch???????????????

OUCH!!? It hurts!? The two different methodologies get the same result; however they are different levels of what we are willing to accept.? One has a shorter impact to our pain levels and the other has a longer-term approach to pain.? If you rip it OFF quickly, the pain is immediate and may be more intense, however it fades and will go away quicer.? If you use the slow and easy approach to removing the band-aid, it may not be intense pain, but it may take you longer and then cause more pain in the long run.? Especially if it gets hair in the adhesive and if you have left it on for a long time.? Are you willing to experience a short-term sacrifice to get what you want, or would you rather let it be little by little over time?? Both can be uncomfortable; however, each process can have an impact on what you have going on around you.? Are you willing to rip it off quickly?? What do you need to pull the band-aid off of and get done, even though it might cause some pain?? What are you willing to accept?? Are you ready? Rip it!

Feel???????????????????

Feel to find a spot to grab.? It may have been a while since you ripped a band-aid OFF.? If it was put on correctly and if it is a quality product, it probably adhered to the skin well and there are not any bubbles.? You might have to feel around the outside of the band-aid, or the backing material to find a spot where it is releasing a little for you to grab ahold of.? You might just grab the middle or the non-stick pad.? Once you get a grip, get ready.? You will feel it, however depending on your actions, and how good your grip is, you might want to review your plan.? If you pull it quickly, you might lose your grip.? If you pull hard on the pad, it might split in half, and you will have to pull it two more times.? Regardless of how you approach it, you know what you need to do.? It is ok to take your time determining the best approach, however the longer you leave the band-aid on, the more time the adhesive has to adhere to the skin.? How are you approaching your goals?? Are you waiting for just the right time for it to “feel right?”? Have you reviewed your plan to see what you will need to do if your non-stick pad splits and leaves you twice the work?? Are you waiting too long to make a decision on what you are going to do and allowing the adhesive to form a stronger bond? The stronger the bond, the more work it will take to remove it.? It may also cause more irritation around what you are trying to cover up and leave a nasty residue.? What are you waiting for?

Faster??????????????

Faster relief and achievement is the goal.? You know it is going to hurt, the question is how long do you want to feel the pain and how quickly do you want the pain to go away?? Some individuals may be more acceptable to pulling it off as soon as the bleeding stops and others may choose to leave it on long after that to protect the wound.? We all know the purpose of the band-aid and we all know that at some point we have to pull the band-aid OFF to allow the wound to breathe and heal.? The longer you keep wounds (fears, frustrations, past hurts, failures, etc.) covered up, the longer it might take you to heal.? If faster relief and faster achievement are your goals, what is stopping you from ripping it OFF right now?? You might have good reason to keep your proverbial band-aid on for the time being.? It does give comfort when you apply a band-aid.? There is also comfort in removing the band-aid and seeing the wound has healed.? There is no technical right or wrong (unless you leave it on until it gets nasty and sticky and gets infected), as long as you don’t lose sight of the fact that it has to come OFF at some point.? You get to decide, however you also must understand that your decision impacts how long it will hurt (short or long) and how long it takes to heal.?

See there, it was not as bad as you thought it was going to be, was it?? Growing up my dad would tell me, “It is a long way from my heart.”? Guess what?? Regardless of how close or far it was from my heart, it still hurt! How long have you been wearing the band-aid?? Why haven’t you ripped it off yet? What are you trying to cover up?? What are you waiting for?? What are you afraid of?? What are you trying to hide?? Recognize that it is going to hurt, ‘Ouch!”? Decide what you are willing to accept.? Feel around the edges of the band-aid to determine your best plan of action.? Feeling better faster is the goal.? It is up to you, just know that you have to be accountable for your decision.? You may be ok with it taking longer.? You may want it faster.? Make a decision, grab the corner, and count it down.?

3-2-1 pull it OFF and OFF you go!

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O- Ouch, it hurts!

F- Feel a spot to grab

F- Faster relief and achievement is the goal