“Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms – to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way”. -Viktor E. Frankl
Have you ever watched a baby develop? For young children, developing life is full of obstacles that force them to process challenges and fall down so that they can learn how to continue to get up and try and try again.
Despite how amazing it may be to watch resiliency in action, in the eyes of a baby, life can feel pretty unfair at times.
- As a baby, if you pick up a phone or remote, an adult takes it out of your hands.
- Babies want to use their legs to walk and increase mobility, but fall down more times than one can count.
- Babies try to pick something up only to notice that dexterity hasn’t been perfected, making it impossible to grab what they really want.
Babies learn to be resilient through doing. They face a road block, express their emotional reaction, and then continue on to whatever is next for their developing life.
As adults, it is important to remember this natural resiliency that we so willingly showed as a child. Resiliency is part of human nature!
It’s time to detach the monkey mind from what is or is not and focus on how to be the most resilient version of your personal self.
You were once a resilient baby. So, what do you have to do as an adult to mimic this important survival skill and encourage resiliency in your grown-up self?
Resilience, in itself, is the capacity of your internal and external systems to deal with change and continue to develop.
Facing opposition is an integral part of life which blesses you with an opportunity to practice being resilient, embrace change, and spur renewal and personal growth.
But it’s not always easy.
Here are three simple steps to continue to encourage your reactions to align with resiliency.
- Acknowledge your emotions – self-awareness is the number 1 tool necessary to practice resiliency. Understanding how you are feeling and honoring those feelings in effective ways; like with a therapist, journaling, or confiding in a friend, are incredible ways to acknowledge how you are feeling. It is only through understanding how you feel that you can connect and begin to control your response when life feels hard.
- Let Go – learning how to drop your resistance and surrender to what is can be difficult, yet it is an empowering way to practice resiliency. Imagine not landing your dream job. Initially, this news may sting. It may feel like a blow to the ego. However, learning to surrender to ‘what is,’ in this case a job that isn’t going to happen, allows you to create personal immunity from the attachment to the job. It’s not easy. But it’s important to understand – letting go is a tool of freedom for your mind.
- Always believe that things are working out FOR your good – No matter what is happening in your life, remember, life is happening FOR you – not to you or at you. Even when it feels tough, life is unfolding so you can create your happiest self. This means that the job you didn’t get, the relationship that is no longer, the friendships that have passed; are all for your benefit. This can feel extremely difficult when things already seem rough. So, focus on the blessings. Hold on to the fact that happiness is your birthright. And know that all things in the world are open to bring you more joy, more peace, and better times ahead.
When it comes to practicing resiliency, your mindset will be your best friend. Becoming aware of your thoughts and gently shifting toward letting go help to free your emotional energy to focus on the good. You have the power to create your best life. Believe it and seek out this worldly validation daily. The more you continue to shift your focus toward what is going well, the more open you become to receive the goodness that life has in store for you.
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