Dear Reader,
We made it. Here we both are.
Through thick and thin, and the sun continues to rise each day.
Hasn't it been an interesting 2 years? I want to laugh sarcastically at that line because what I really want to say is it's been an interesting 15 years, or insert your personal time frame of choice.
And the forecast is that the future will continue to be just that. 'Interesting'. The world is changing rapidly, and we too must shift with it (within reason), guided by the fundamental understanding that the only thing we can control is ourselves. Our mindset. Our words. Our actions. Our ability to develop the skill of moving forward despite changes, challenges or obstacles that are outside of our immediate control.
the difference in those who survive, those who overcome, those who succeed, those who defy and exceed expectations and the trials and tribulations of life … they all have ONE thing in common
Over the time of the pandemic in particular (and the years preceding too) I've learned plenty and sometimes a little too much about what it takes to walk through the fires of life.
These lessons have been experienced directly, and indirectly in witnessing the lives of others, and now the knowledge is clear and integrated into my very being and way of life.
The Life Lesson Award for 2021 (and let's be real, 2020 also) goes to... (drumroll)...
RESILIENCE.
What is it?
How do we get it?
How can we apply it?
When do we apply it?
When does it kick into gear?
So many questions. Not a fun lesson to learn.
The good stuff isn't necessarily fun though, just like eating vegetables.
Yea cookie monster, I feel you.
Oxford Dictionary Definition of Resilience:
1: the capability of a strained body to recover its size and shape after deformation caused especially by compressive stress
2: an ability to recover from or adjust easily to misfortune or change
As I see it, the difference between those who survive, those who overcome, those who succeed, those who defy and exceed expectations and the trials and tribulations of life … they all have ONE thing in common.
Resilience.
It’s the CORE of what it takes to get to any destination that matters in life, anything that is of value to you.
A little of it to get over the hump of an irritating miscellaneous moment, a lot of it to pick yourself up off the floor of despair, and somewhere in the middle between the two extremes also to get through the 'everyday' until you finally reach a sense of belief that good things will come again.
Resilience.
Remember that word. Memorise it. Repeat it silently. Repeat it in the mirror out loud. Store it in your heart. In your belly. In your Spirit. Until you and It become one and the same.
It will get you far whatever it is that you currently face. Faster than you realise or dare to believe.
And yes, I get it, this is a tinnitus therapy article, and what has it got to do with tinnitus?
Well… everything.
I’m sure you already know this day in, day out.
People with tinnitus aren’t just ‘people with tinnitus’. They are Warriors in the making. And Champions in the overcoming of the distress it can cause. If you don't know it, I'm here to tell you that you are already embodying resilience.
I suppose what I’m asking you to do is to acknowledge just how damn strong you are.
And really, I mean REALLY tap into that. Nurture your resilience, grow it even more than you already have, until it overrides any negative word, thought or reflexive fear within you, until you can look at yourself in the mirror and know instinctively that NOTHING can or will derail you. Because, you simply WILL NOT ALLOW IT.
Not even tinnitus.
Not even [INSERT DIFFICULTY OF CHOICE]
Not even if you see NO way out. Especially not then.
Resilience will ALWAYS get you out of the hole. It will ALWAYS get you to wherever your compass points to.
That, I can promise. So point wisely. Direct yourself with measured, considered intent. With sheer willpower and stubbornness if you must. Whatever drives you with dogged determination.
Because one thing is for certain, change is a guarantee in life and, you’ll get over the mountain and at your destination. The time might be sooner than you think.
So in answering those questions from the beginning:
What is Resilience? Check out the definition I listed in the beginning of the article. It's your ability to bounce back, to override, to overcome, to keep moving forward despite.
How do we get it? It’s already within you, you were BORN with it.
How can we apply it? With positive self-talk, with positive action no matter how incremental or small. With professional guidance. With the right people surrounding you cheering you on. It all matters. It all accumulates until it snowballs in your favour. And the good news is, it always does, eventually.
When do we apply it? Whenever it is needed, the dosage fluctuating depending on the need or immediate issue at hand. With consistent application and time, it will become a part of you as effortless and natural as breathing.
When does it kick into gear? When you begin remembering and acknowledging just how many times you have remained strong in the face of adversity, when you nurture the existing fire within you, when you believe in yourself as much as there are stars in the sky, and speak to yourself in language of determination instead of doubt.
And with that all said...
In Resilience for 2022! May you have the strongest year yet in mind and body, directed by the fierceness that's already within you.
Marie-Chantal x
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