How to be resilient now

When I wrote to you last week, 2021 felt like it was off to a fresh, clean, promising start.

And then our nation was rocked by an event that has been deeply disturbing — and is a true wake-up call.

The message for me is that we cannot take this democracy for granted. There has been clear evidence of deep problems for years. And while it’s hard to impact change as individuals, we can come together and collectively support real change — which, happily, we we saw happen at the ballot box in November, and for those in Georgia, last week.

I know we are politically divided. But I believe that there are many people who did not support the president-elect with their votes who also want to see the restoration of a peaceful democracy, with respect for our Constitution and laws.

When we come together we have the ability to influence the future of this country.

It starts with each of us

How do we each show up in our lives and in the world?

How do we live with integrity each day?

And how do we move forward after we have been deeply shocked and scared?

We have an invitation to think about these questions now.

How are you showing up each day?

Are you clear about who you are, your values, what you stand for?

Do you live by those values each day?

Few of us are very clear about knowing ourselves, and few have focused on identifying the values that are most important to us.

Many of us are people-pleasers, and thus do not stand up for what matters to us.

Or we put ourselves last, always focused on caring for those around us.

Or we want to speak up, but don’t have the courage to speak our truth.

Or we do not believe in our abilities to do things that truly are within our reach — if only we stretched a bit outside of our comfort zone.

Are you living in integrity day by day?

Even when we do have clarity about ourselves and our values, few of us are able to fully live in integrity with what we care about.

It takes courage and conviction to show up each day, at work, with our families and friends, and stand in our personal power.

We have all heard people say things that we feel are not right, or are unfair, misguided, or false. Or we’ve been asked to accept or follow directions that are out of alignment with our integrity. In circumstances such as these, the challenge is to find the words or take action to offer another point of view, or advocate for another path forward, or defend the truth as we perceive it.

It takes courage and conviction, and many of us struggle to find the words or take the actions to consistently live in integrity.

How are you moving forward now?

Whether or not the events on the national level are top of mind for you, or if personal concerns are looming large, we all need to find ways to move forward with purpose when things get tough.

At times like these we need to be resilient.

And over time, we are frequently called on to be resilient.

Try asking yourself these questions:

1. Consider times in your past when you needed to be resilient. What did you do? What allowed you to find that strength? Now that time has passed and you look back, what might you do differently today?

2. Where are there opportunities for you to create steps to move forward, rather than reacting to the challenge that’s troubling you?

3. Can you slow down, get present, and consider lots of possible options — so you can choose what next best step to take?

4. Can you reach out for help or support?

5. Can you ask yourself this question: If I were not afraid, what would I do?

When you consider these questions you will find meaningful insights, and resilience will come more easily.

These times call for more of us to live big

I invite you to spend some time with the ideas and the questions I shared above.

When you devote time to careful consideration about yourself and devising new ways to move forward, you are opening the door to living more intentionally — living your values, bringing resiliency to challenges, and having more agency in your life.

These are foundations of living big.

And when we each strive to live big, we impact not only our individual lives, but the lives of those in our families, our communities, our country and the world.

My mission is to help people live big

If you want to explore the ways you can live your biggest and best life, let’s have a conversation. Here’s what to do to take me up on my invitation.

Schedule a Live Big Breakthrough Call and we will explore what limits you now and what’s possible for you to create — to make the future you desire a reality.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Stay safe and well, and keep creating.