en·dur·ance n The power to withstand hardship or stress The state or fact of persevering Continuing existence When you’re in the middle of adversity or your personal marathon, I don’t care who you are, you’re in denial if at some point you don’t have to tap into some strength and staying power in order to […]
Between stimulus and response is a space. In this space lies our freedom to choose our response. In these choices lie our growth and our happiness (Stephen Covey). Making choices is a huge part of everyday life. Thankfully about 40% of our decisions are habits (according to a Duke University study) and are made without […]
Have you ever asked “Why” when bad things happen? I’m sure most of us have but for sake of argument, how much practical good does it do us to ask why? Do you feel better? Do you resolve issues? Do you get unstuck and start to move forward? Not likely. A better question that moves […]
Grief drives men into habits of serious reflection, sharpens the understanding, and softens the heart (John Adams). Part of learning to dance with adversity and find hope in painful circumstances is to have a framework to help you deal with the losses that come into our lives (whether they be as traumatic as a death […]
One practice useful for processing life’s experiences of trauma, pain and adversity is journaling. Truth be told, it`s been a practice of mine for years and has only grow more valuable during this season of adversity and recovery. Journaling can take on many different forms (be it paper or electronic) and be used for a […]
There’s a Jewish saying that goes: What soap is for the body, tears are for the soul. Have tears been like soap in your life? During this season of recovery, tears have been my friend. They have been a release valve for pent up frustration, a way to cope with physical pain, a natural response […]
One place I had to go in my journey of healing and recovery was back to the scene of our accident. I’ve been back there emotionally and eventually will go back physically when my mobility allows it. Our brokenness and hurt was the result of driver error – the inattentiveness of one person who ran […]
To live is to experience change. When we choose to change, it usually goes smoothly emotionally. When change is thrust upon us and turns our lives upside down it can result in an emotional ride that is filled with a mixed bag of emotions. Many years ago, some wise people who watched this change journey […]
He who knows the universe and does not know himself knows nothing. Jean De La Fontaine Knowing others is intelligence; knowing yourself is true wisdom. Tao Te Ching Your ability to “hope for the best and dance with the rest” becomes more likely when you take the time and trouble to know yourself emotionally. The […]
If you look up “hope” in the dictionary you will discover two parts to the definition: a) “desire or expectation” for something in the future to occur; and b) “grounds for believing” something in the future will occur. You run into trouble when you have one without the other. When you have “desire without any grounds” you […]