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Writer's pictureBridget Belden

Cultivating Resilience for a Purposeful Journey



Your Magenta Monday Magic.



‘Peace is accepting that everything changes. When we stop clinging to how things are, we can let go and embrace what’s growing in front of us. Doing this shifts our mindset from one that’s scared of change to one that’s energized by the excitement of future potential’ Cory Allen


Mentally, this can be a tough time of year. Your kids may be graduating – and it doesn’t matter if they’re wrapping up 8th grade, finishing high school, or graduating from college – it symbolizes the closing of one chapter and the beginning of another for everyone, yourself included! It can be a big adjustment.


You may be mourning the loss of your ‘baby’ as she steps into adulthood, or you may be experiencing a mom midlife crisis and grieving the loss of this season of your life – you as a mom tending to everyone’s needs.


Or you might be feeling a little bit of all of the above!


Either way, you likely have some mixed emotions: excitement for your child who’s launching into the world and sadness at the same time, not wanting this time of life to end. You’re likely also starting to ask the big question: What next?


Throw in a few hormonal changes and you’ve got one big emotional roller coaster!


So how do you navigate this transition? …. and all the other transitions still to come in your life?


There is one thing in particular that will serve you well in every transition:


Resilience.


No matter what the challenge, how tough the transition, or how enormous the change, resilience is key to making your way through. It’s the capacity to withstand or recover quickly from difficulty.


How exactly does it help support you on your journey?


Well, I don’t know all the details of what you’re facing – but I know we all have our stuff…and what I can tell you is how cultivating resilience worked for me.


This past Mother’s Day marked 28 years since my older sister, Megan passed. I really can’t believe it’s been that long. She was just 31 and I can remember clearly how hard it was at the time for me to wrap my head around.


I couldn’t understand why such a young woman would lose her life so early.


Absent any explanation, all I could do was trust that it must have happened for a reason. I had no idea what that reason was, but I had to trust there was one. This experience fueled my journey of reinventing myself after empty nest, pushing me to seek personal growth and discover a larger purpose in life.


My only other choice would have been to stay stuck asking “why is this happening to me and my family?”


A legitimate question, right? Sure – but it didn’t help me move past the pain. It didn’t help to move me forward. When I was able to trust and accept, I was able to move forward – and I strengthened my resilience in finding purpose as an empty nester.


When I look back now, I can see that my sister’s passing helped me to realize just how short life actually is. I realized that we’re never promised another tomorrow.


It helped motivate me to begin my journey of personal growth. It drove me to search for a larger purpose. And that led me to the beautiful life I lead today.


Cultivating resilience can support us with every challenge we come up against.


So whatever you’re facing right now, shoring up your resilience will help.


How do you do that? Here are a few helpful ways:


Embrace change:

Change is inevitable, and it can often feel overwhelming. Instead of resisting change though, try embracing it as an opportunity for growth and self-discovery. Approach it with an open mind and a willingness to adapt.


Develop a Support System: Surround yourself with a network of supportive friends, family members, or like-minded individuals. A strong support system can provide you with encouragement, guidance, and a sense of belonging – all the things you need when you are faced with challenging times.


Practice Self-Compassion: Be kind to yourself and treat yourself with the same level of care and compassion you would extend to a dear friend. Figure out what self-care activities nourish your mind, body, and soul, and then work on practicing them regularly.


Cultivate a Growth Mindset: When you operate with a closed mindset you focus on the negative, and you feel like the victim whenever hardship shows up in your own life. It’s completely disempowering. Adopting a growth mindset, on the other hand, means you view setbacks and failures as opportunities for learning and personal development.


Do your best to look at challenges as stepping-stones towards self-improvement rather than obstacles that define your worth. When you hit a tough spot, ask yourself: What am I meant to learn from this situation? You can’t choose ‘what’ happens to you, but you always have a choice about ‘how’ you choose to view it.


 

Monday Mindshift


It’s the 1° shift that makes the biggest difference over time.


Think about the last time you faced something challenging in your life. What was your first response?


Did you instantly default into victim mode? Was your first question, “Why is this happening TO me?”


It can be natural to feel that way, but it’s a very disempowering position to take. When you think of yourself as a victim, you have little control over how you choose to respond to a situation.


Focus on making a subtle (but powerful) shift to your mindset.


Try this instead: Pause for a moment and ask yourself, “Why is this happening FOR me? What can I learn here? How can I take what I’m learning and apply it next time?”


Treat yourself with compassion and recognize that you are on a learning journey. It can take a little time to change your mental habits, but it’s a change worth pursuing.


You can choose to view the things that happen in your life as setbacks or personal flaws, or you can choose to see them as essential parts of your journey – lessons that are here for you to learn. Things don’t happen TO you. They happen FOR you.




 

Living BRIGHTer is...


B - Be Brave

R - Cultivate Relationships

I - Live with Intention

G - Practice Gratitude

H - Prioritize Health

T - Live your Truth


What is Magenta?


The color magenta is one of universal harmony and emotional balance. It is spiritual yet practical, encouraging common sense and a balanced outlook on life. Magenta helps to create harmony and balance in every aspect of life; physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually.


Click on my calendar link to sign up for a FREE 45-minute Pathway to Purpose Breakthrough Session now.



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