Be Stubborn
February 21, 2024
Thriving, In the End
March 6, 2024
Thrive – to pursue joy and meaning in your life. In this 7-part blog series we are exploring how your resilience skills can help you thrive. Each blog will focus on a constellation of skills that can be used to pursue the life you want.
Thriving – one size fits no one. Throughout this series, I have referred to centering in your own wisdom and pursuing what makes you happy and gives meaning to your life. This includes what works for your pace, your personality, your current life and energy. You can gain inspiration and ideas from other people but always customize those ideas to best fit you, and your journey. Your ideal journey will always be custom fit to who you are now. It is important that you manage your life in a way that works for you.
Pause
Sometimes the best way to figure out what brings you joy and meaning is to do nothing for awhile. If you have been through a hard time, rest. Let go of the stress and leave open time in your schedule. When you are ready, do small things that put a smile on your face. Experiment with new activities to see what lifts your spirits. Or, if your schedule is already full, pause from adding new things. Reflect on what you spend your time on. Notice when you feel lighter or more fulfilled.
Pace
At this time in your life what pace works for you? Go, go, go works for some people and some days. Some people prefer quiet, contemplation, a less busy schedule. You may do best with a regular routine. Creating and planning often take time, needing a slower pace for inspiration to join in. Doing and implementing can usually be done at a faster pace. Depending on where you are in life and factors around health, parenting, and work, only you know what you truly need. Even the high energy people need a nap now and then. Find your joy in quiet or motion. Make meaning by going at a pace that fits you, increases your joy, and amplifies the good you can do.
Timing
What does your life look like now? Life at 20, 40, and 80 years of age are very different. What did your life look like 5 or 10 years ago? Free time or not, little kids or older family members, a defined goal or a transitional time when the future isn’t clear. Your life won’t always be the way it is now. I have more free time, more support, and subsequently more energy now than I did at a younger age. Past joys and activities may no longer interest you, or perhaps they do, but you have to put them on hold at this time. Later you may bring them back into your life, or not. At every age and stage there are new activities and interests to explore. What do you need and have room for now in your life?
Instensity
If your joy is nature, are we talking a bouquet of daisies on your kitchen counter, or running to the bottom of the Grand Canyon and then back up? Or somewhere in between? Choose your intensity. What fits your personality? Game night with a dozen noisy friends who laugh loudly and sing random songs when a comment reminds them of a tune? Or a long quiet walk, alone? Decorate your house to perfection or make it reasonably clean before you leave town again. You get to decide. Experiment with what brings you joy. A friend who loves cats has found that living with 2 cats and volunteering for a cat welfare group is just right for her. I know someone else whose retirement plan was to run a local shelter. Both are making a difference at a level of intensity that fits their lives and personality.
Thriving includes doing it in a way that fits you. Read a book or 20. Start a podcast or send a note to a friend. Rescue a dog or start a dog rescue society. Add ways to be joyful to your schedule or subtract activities from your schedule so you can better enjoy what you have. Right size your life to better thrive at this point in your personal history. It isn’t simply what you do but at what pace and intensity at this time in your life. Noticing what works for you, and making adjustments as your life and needs change, allows you to find joy and to create meaning in a sustainable way.
Peace,
Laura A. Gaines
This is part six in a seven-part series. To get caught up, check out Resilience to Thrive , Center in Your Own Wisdom, Act with Courage, Connect to Thrive, and Be Stubborn. Next week will be our conclusion. You are welcome to comment as we go by sending an email to resilience@learnmodelteach.com or engaging on LinkedIn or Facebook.
