When we manage changes and handle challenges, being resilient helps us to adapt and bounce back from difficult situations. Profound growth is possible if we stay the course and do not insist on how things go or will work out.
When we feel frustrated or burnt-out after trying for a long time, it is worth considering if we misinterpret resilience as having to make it happen at all costs. In thinking we will not let “them” take us down, we want to stay strong.
In being resilient, there is a difference between seeing challenges as obstacles versus seeing them as growth opportunities. Both can be true, and how we come out on the other side depends on which way we lean towards.
When the target is on overcoming an obstacle, we build ourselves up to meet the challenge. Once the obstacle is gone, we relax and do not use the momentum we have built to sustain our growth. We then gradually revert to the familiar way of being.
If our motivation to change comes from overcoming obstacles, the self-development journey is longer, more winding, and less rewarding.
When we see challenges as obstacles, the perceived threat causes the body to release chemicals to fight the perceived dangers. Our brains are not as sharp, and we have less access to resources for healing, clarity, and innovation.
We become rigid in our thinking and the body chronically feels tight, stiff, or achy. The relief from massages or other relaxing activities is short-lived because it is our disposition, not the issue, that leads to systematic stress.
Cultivating the flow within us strengthens our resilience without compromising our well-being. Those of us with many responsibilities may think we can’t afford to be “flowy.” There are expectations to meet. People depend on us.
Developing the flow within us is simpler than many assume. A few minutes of intentional practice makes a big difference when we notice a person or situation has a hold of us.
For resilience to be sustainable, it is important to have a regular daily practice to recharge ourselves. Engaging in a practice early in the day is a great way to build resilience credit.
I recently gave a talk to the California Lawyers Association on cultivating the flow within for professionals feeling burnout. I think you will enjoy the talk and find the exercises helpful. Click here to watch – Recharge To Take Charge.
When we focus on accomplishing, we often forget our beingness affects the quality of our decisions and efforts. Reestablishing the flow within trains our systems to remember the innate intelligence before the busy mind takes over.
The mind jets around getting caught up in the illusion that more is better. Cultivating the flow within helps us to be present and discerning, leading to greater satisfaction. We become less interested in overcommitting ourselves.
In being more present, we do not worry as much. We stop insisting on how things need to go. This allows the Universe to step in and open doors for us. Our presence also adds a new dimension of fulfillment to our relationships.
True resilience is not limited to doing more with less or achieving against the odds. Being resilient allows us to see a ray of light piercing through dense dark clouds, illuminating a new direction or path that we could not see before.
In stepping onto this path, we have more energy, time expands, and we have great clarity on what is truly worth doing instead of following society’s expectations and cultural conditioning.
As we develop new capabilities, we start to befriend versions of ourselves that we have ignored or forgotten. We come to realize that everything happens for the purpose of discovering the true Self.
If you are tired of the same old, same old and are yearning for new possibilities in different areas of your life, contact me for a 1/2-hour free consultation and see what we can uncover together.
With Love,
I help clients regain vitality,
transcend limitations, and
own their divine presence.