Resilience

Resilient is an adjective that is used to symbolize success. It's a hard cold world and at some point we ALL have to take our blows! The difference between a loser and a survivor is the survivor bounced back or is resilient. This concept is so simple but it is so fundamentally difficult to grasp when we are faced with tough situations that knock us off of our feet. It's amazing how we go to church, pray and say all of these clichés yet when we are hit, we fold.

I'm finding that resilience is a muscle that has to be trained. It's a muscle that we have to cultivate. Unfortunately it only comes through trials. Lord I wish there were a better way. One thing I always say to people is that we have to make sure we speak positively to ourselves. During the most difficult times it is more important to have positive conversation with ourselves. Having positive conversations with ourselves is like lifting weights.

If you want to lose weight then you do light weight and more repetitions. So if you are trying to rebound from a situation you have to speak to yourself in short intervals more frequent. We have to find positive affirmations that we can recite during the day when things come to mind ie. I'm a good wife; I'm a good cook; I'm good at what I do; I'm blessed and highly favored. (See Louise Hay's affirmations for other examples). When you are trying to build muscle you have to do heavy weights and fewer repetitions. So when we are hit with those hard trials, that's the time we begin to build our muscle. We have to use our heaviest equipment not just our positive affirmations but also our network of support which includes God, family, friends, confidantes, journaling, whatever helps to make it through.

It is said that the most successful cancer survivors have the best attitude about their situation and have a support system that helps them through. So, let's find those positive affirmations to keep our attitude right when difficult times come our way but also maintain that network of support to help to get through those situations. We have to always believe we will survive and we are RESILIENT!!!