Resilience is within reach… it’s inside you!

We are the sum total of our choices and those choices can enhance or destroy our Resilience. “We” meaning the human race, this country, this world, your family, your friends, YOU, Me: Each taking different roads. We make choices. Sometimes the choice is to NOT make a choice – and in that case, someone else makes the choice for us. We choose to support – or ignore- certain situations in our lives: our health, the health of our family, of our relationships, even those we elected to serve us – the politicians. We choose to support, or ignore everything from opportunities to the signs of coming disaster.

Being Mindful is one of the keys to creating Resilience. What is mindfulness? Pay attention. CHOOSE to look for the best possible solutions for each challenge. CHOOSE to face each problem and figure out what’s needed next. CHOOSE to stop sticking your head in the sand. Do something. Anything. Any small step in the right direction will do.

A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.
Lao-tzu, Chinese philosopher (604 BC – 531 BC)

How do you know the right direction? Pay attention. Look at mistakes from your past and ask, “What’s the Lesson? What

Sometimes the Path is Blocked… Oh Well! Now What?

could I have done differently? Where was the path blocked? What did I do to contribute to the creation of that problem in the first place? What did I miss? What were the signs? What were the outcomes? What outcomes do I want now?”

We humans are ornery. We take too long to make a correction and move in the right direction. We know what’s needed. What stops us? Stubbornness, ego, being comfortable in our predictable misery, fear, irrational resistance… My guess? Life is complex and scary when we look at the big picture. It’s easier to act as if nothing’s going on. We devolve to magical thinking. Like Fifth graders we stick our fingers in our ears, yelling “lalalalalalalalaaaaaaa” …

Here’s the truth: Life is messy. Freedom is messy. Families are messy. Relationships are messy. There is no straight line in life, no easy solution. Just because you have your health now, there’s no guarantee it will stay the same without you paying attention. Keep going. Always work towards solutions, towards wholeness, towards Peace. Towards Joy.

Things have been out of control for some time: more than 10,000 years in fact. My favorite book is “History Begins at Sumer.” It chronicles life in a place called Sumer in 4,500 BC. Not much has changed. There’s a simple explanation: Humans are Involved. Each of us is on our own journey. We have our own set of troubles, ego issues, health challenges, secret worries and secret passions. These fly in direct opposition to the goals, issues and challenges of the people around us. Conflict is a natural part of the human experience.

What can you do? Take a deep breath. Do your best. Detach: don’t take things so personally (my dad used to define Ego as “edging God Out.”) Find your tribe. Have adventures. Be willing to step outside your comfort zone. Work on creating resilience – bounce-back-ability – in your life. Reward yourself when you do good things. Believe in yourself. Have goals that matter to you. Learn the Lessons and Celebrate the Blessings.

Take care of yourself. The world needs you healthy. We all win when you succeed!

All the best in this New Year,

Beth

© 2016 Beth Terry, CSP. All Rights Reserved.