Preparing for your 2023 Liftoff
As Featured in Growing Bolder Magazine
When we move through life on autopilot, we miss a lot. It is when we pause to examine our habits that we create a possibility for change and expansion. Isn’t that what we want in our lives? We are truly vibrant when our experiences are not stifled and limited but dynamic and wide. Soaring does not mean we have to scale cliffs or become experts in multiple fields. We just have to be open and willing to ask questions and take risks.
Sometimes going out of our comfort zone means mentoring or showing up for others. Purpose is a huge component of a fulfilling life. It is not necessary to be famous to play an important role in the lives of others. When we consider the experience and happiness of other people, we elevate ourselves.
Staging in a narrow lane is limiting, both for what we lose in knowledge and what others lose by not engaging with us. When we try new things and consider new avenues, we appreciate a wider diversity of people, cultures, and places. We feel grateful for what the world has to offer, and for the simple fact of being alive! Gratitude is one of the predictors for happiness.
Forgiveness is also key to reaching new heights. Anger, resentment, and sadness weigh us down and keep us from being truly happy and fulfilled. Professor Richard Davidson writes about neuroplasticity and explains that we can change our brains by changing our minds. There is no reason to waste the time we have left plodding down the same work paths when we can explore new ones.
It may be true that it takes work to throw off our baggage, but the results can be transformative. We recently had the opportunity to interview Christopher Willard about his new book, How We Grow Through What We Go Through: Self Compassion Practices for Post-Traumatic Growth. In it, he explains how going through a traumatic experience can actually make a positive difference in our lives. We always have the ability to rewrite our story.
At first blush, it might seem difficult to imagine how trauma can benefit us. If we build a solid foundation of mindfulness we are more resilient and better able to bounce back from difficulty. A mindfulness practice helps us to be curious, grateful, and forgiving.
We don’t get there overnight, though; it is a muscle that has to be practiced in order for us to be able to activate it easily. If we put in the time to sit in meditation and go about our daily tasks with intention, we are better able to let go of things that might drag us down and to instead grab the reins of opportunities that will help us soar.
As Sharon Salzberg says, “That’s life: starting over, one breath at a time.”