What a long, strange trip it’s been!!! It’s hard to believe that we have been living in a pandemic world for almost a year now and what a roller coaster ride it has been. But, tough times can be a catalyst for powerful personal change. Have you taken the time to explore how to turn the challenges you have been facing into opportunities to become stronger, happier and inspired to thrive and flourish in 2021? The power to push through obstacles and turn them into opportunities comes from tapping into a unique trait called transformative resilience. It’s the ability to take life’s challenges and setbacks and learn from them and use them as inspiration to grow in new directions. According to Ama Marston, a leadership expert and coauthor of Type R: Transformative
Resilience for Thriving in a Turbulent World, there are several ways to foster this inspiration:
1. Take a New View – Learn to see challenges as opportunities by shifting your mindset. We all have a lens through which we view the world and everything that takes place in it. It shapes our outlook, beliefs, attitude and actions and oftentimes it may be more negative than we realize. When problems arise, do you immediately think “why me”? Instead, ask yourself what can I learn from this – how can I do things differently that will help me grow from this experience. That way, it goes from bad luck to something that you can mold to your advantage.
2. Practice Emotional Hygiene – Being adaptable and willing to look at things differently doesn’t mean you won’t have sad feelings or negative emotions. We have to acknowledge our experiences in order to deal with them. When something bad happens, of course you can allow yourself to feel frustrated or upset. But, do not let the negative thoughts overwhelm you, take over and shadow everything else. Some things are just out of our control and we have to remind ourselves of that. Focus on what is in your power to change and turn that situation into an opportunity.
3. Move Forward – Don’t continue looking back and asking what would things have been like if x, y or z hadn’t happened. The challenges of this past year highlight how crucial it is to move forward. We’ve had to adapt to so many changes…working from home, not seeing family and friends, losing a job, quarantining…the thought of getting back to where we were seems perhaps a bit overwhelming. Research shows that once we go through something difficult, we change and grow – we don’t stay the same. Now is the time to move ahead, realize the need to accept some things might never be the same and some will be even better. We might have to do some things a little differently and that means moving forward with new ideas about how to tackle those challenges.
Whatever you take away from the past year, let InCycle help you move forward – a strong, healthy body will recharge your energy, amp up your mental prowess – it’s really a simple formula – exercise induces changes in several neurotransmitters (brain messengers) that play a role in your positivity and over time have a lasting effect. Let this long, strange trip have a happy, positive ending – RIDE ON!!! STRENGTH ON!!!