Tragedy and Resilience

I recognize that I am exceptionally fortunate; my four grandchildren are all at home with their parents preparing for another week.  I am exceptionally grateful for this fact while simultaneously deeply saddened by the recent tragedy in Uvalde, Texas.  I can’t begin to imagine the devastation being experienced by the families of those 17 children and two adults who were brutally murdered last week. 

These events tear at the very fabric of our society and in my lowest moments I wonder how we as a nation move forward, once again, after such a devastating tragedy?  Like most Americans, I am trying to make meaning out of this tragedy and figure out how to ensure that it, or something like it, doesn’t happen again.  Some days it feels like I’m trying to walk through quicksand – the more I struggle to pull myself out of the quagmire the deeper I sink.  Yet, even in the midst of the sadness, there are also days when I’m able to recognize the resilience that lives within me and my fellow Americans.  And I know that we can find ways to use that resilience to create meaningful change that will make our nation and our world a better place.

One of the ways I’m choosing resilience today is by telling you about something that I’ve been doing recently.  There is this wonderful program created by Shirzad Chamine and his team of collaborators that I’ve been participating in with some amazing coaches that I know.  The focus of the program is on developing mental fitness so that we can better deal with the day-to-day stressors in our lives.  The program was designed to reduce the impact of Saboteurs and increase the power of the Sage so that each participant develops the ability to “remain calm, clear-headed, stress-free, and positive even in the midst of handling work and life’s greatest challenges” (https://www.positiveintelligence.com/about/). 

I have found the program to be effective in supporting me to better deal with day-to-day stressors over the past five weeks.   In this last week, I’ve used the tools and techniques from the program to support me in dealing with the overwhelming feelings of sadness and helplessness that resulted from the Uvalde shooting in addition to the normal day-to-day frustrations and anxiety resulting from work and life. 

Yesterday I committed to utilizing the “activate” power of my Sage to take positive, decisive action in accordance with my desire to end gun violence.  After thinking through my options, the first step I took was to volunteer to aid the campaign of a politician whom I believe is equally committed to ending gun violence.  My second step was to allow myself to be present and experience the joy of watching one of my grandsons participate in a team sport and celebrate their win. And my third step was to write this post and move forward with my plans to host another Purpose Workshop in July.

You might be wondering how my second and third steps related to taking “positive, decisive action in accordance with my desire to end gun violence” so I’ll explain how I think those steps are connected.  First, by making the decision to be present and allowing myself to experience the joy of family and a baseball game I was exercising my resilience, strengthening my mental fitness, and increasing the power of my Sage.  I could have chosen to stay mired in the thoughts and feelings evoked by my Saboteurs doing nothing but watching the news and crying which would have left me feeling hopeless and helpless rather than refreshed, grateful, and happy.  A much better state from which to act decisively and make clear-headed decisions.

My third step – to write this post and move forward with my plans for the July workshop is also connected because I believe that writing this post and sharing what I’m experiencing creates an opportunity for others to be vulnerable and share their thoughts and feelings.  It also provided me with the opportunity to share information about Shirzad’s Positive Intelligence program.  I absolutely support his belief that we can make the world better one person at a time through increased mental fitness.  The Purpose Workshop?  Discovering and living my life in accordance with my purpose has changed everything about my life – it has allowed me to live intentionally, to identify and live my values, and ultimately to live my best life.  And, to put it simply, I want to share that gift with others so that they can have the same experience and live their best lives.  After all, if each of us were living our best life the tragedy we experienced last week could not have happened.

I hope that you will take the opportunity to find out more about Shirzad’s program and that you find value in what he is offering.  I also sincerely hope that you’ll take time today to truly be present for something good in your life for at least a few minutes – that you allow yourself to relax into that joy and treasure the moment.  I’d also love it if you checked out this link to learn more about the upcoming Purpose Workshop that I’m hosting with Paul Briley owner of Off the Comma Coaching.

I’ll sign off now with a wish for each of you – “may you be safe, be healthy, be happy, and live with ease.”