“You’re not a failure”. That was the headline staring at me first thing this morning as I settled in with my morning coffee to read my newsletter update from PositivityBlog.com.
The words struck me as I reflect back to an intense personal set-back I was confronted with last month. While I was going through it, I challenged myself each day to view the current uncomfortable and dire situation I was going through as a “re-alignment”. What are the lessons? What can I take-away from this experience? When we look back on our lives, things not going the way we would have preferred or expected is almost always the Universe setting us on a different path that is for our higher good.
It’s difficult to describe last month as a blissful journey of self-realization. I was so full of despair, fear, uncertainty and angst. One night I became intensely ill. “Probably just something I ate”, I said. Both myself and my partner knew it was not something I ate. It was more like something eating me. It was ME beating myself up so badly I made myself sick. That’s a blog post for another day on forgiveness of self and how NOT to talk to yourself.
The PositivityBlog.com newsletter I received today inspired me to share share my own Three Steps for Bouncing Back.
1. Own Your Actions – The most empowering thing you can do for yourself is own the decisions, steps or MIS-steps that put you where you are. Don’t even blame “unforeseen circumstances” as most circumstances are unforeseen. Come back even better from the experience and the growth of overcoming adversity. When you are living life fully you are bound to face setbacks.
2. Do Something. Anything – When your emotional and mental energy is depleted, it’s challenging to get up and do something. (Attending your own pity party does not qualify as “doing something”). Make it one small task. You will inevitably begin to feel energized. Last month when I was struggling, I picked up garbage on the beach. I walked a dog (Bella) from the local dog sanctuary. I was filled with a sense of purpose and out in nature. It truly helped me put one foot in front of the other to keep moving forward.
3. This Too Shall Pass – Zoom out. What may seem like the biggest deal in the world in that moment in time, is really just a blip on the radar of our entire life’s experience. This too shall pass was Abraham Lincoln’s favorite expression as he said it was applicable to every situation one could encounter.
To further quote Abraham Lincoln; Acknowledge the pain but trod onward in your task. Do what you can, ensure what you must. Make the best of it.
Did You Know…
Abraham Lincoln suffered from debilitating depression, or melancholy as it was called back then.
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