The true face of authenticity calls us to be more diligent, passionate, inspired, transparent, & courageous in how we choose resilient living. When discomfort enters our lives, such as death, heartbreak, the control/fear that haunts goals, or even that helplessness that fails to sync with our belief in our opinion of life's purpose; our experiences teach us which mask to wear and it's our job to refuse to cover the discomfort. The pain and overwhelming joys of life creates levels of emotion and transformative experiences that shapes us in strange ways; leaving some of us temporarily unrecognizable. It is true that 'to whom much is given, much is required'. How are we to follow the path laid before us if we believe not to have been equipped for the experience? I've heard this question addressed in many circles and my opinion feels clear and concise so I will share it in hopes of adding a productive perspective to the conversational mix.
It is my assertion that we have all been equipped for every challenge we face in this life, we need only to trust the still, quiet voice inside, utilize the resources clearly set before us, and walk courageously in the direction of ALL that is good, with reckless abandon and the faith to move mountains, which cannot fail. The problem is many of us are not taught exactly how to complete that process but then, there is no manual on how to live life, we all just stumble through it like a repeat of bad 1st steps that quickly turns into a tumble and roll down a flight of stairs. It is absolutely normal to be afraid of hurting or failing or even succeeding so the thing which takes us past fear is the missing ingredient; it is the thing which takes us from extraordinary pain to being willing to somehow, try again. Elders in every community I grew up in would say pray, meditate, take a vacation, be still, wait, and I agree with them all. I also think that often times we hide behind what we don't know, or can't find ways to trust, using it as an excuse to willingly embrace failure, hovering underneath a smile, a substance, and a desire to numb it, until the pain goes away. It is normal to glue ourselves to re-runs of shows as precious, potential, winning time passes us by. We have to be willing to look at the pain, as we go through the pain, because it is not a surface item we can simply sit on the shelf in our mental closet and forget about it. Pain is a life constant that truly never goes away, the same is true of joy, we are simply programmed by finding ways to address it that are either healthy and productive or damaging and destructive to the mind and soul. Pain will never go away, it is in heavy rotation until death, so you may as well be a pro at rising through it. This way, it won't 'bubble over' in sabotage and calamity through other mediums. Hiding from pain only makes it worse and running from the truth only creates more hurt. Smiling through the pain has carried many people through hard times; so they thought. Then, seemingly out of no where, the pain would show up in the least likely moments; avoidance aborted.
If we learn to walk through the truth of our pain, we can respond metaphorically like the sun rises, with purpose, intentionality, transparency, and consistency, thereby adding joy and gratitude as the driving force in order to, with time, be TRULY healed. I believe that its healthy to sit in the truth of the pain (cry, mourn, breathe through it) while latching onto every positive prayer, word of inspiration, extension of love, moment of meditation, and positive book affirmation we can find to edify, restore, re-calibrate, and re-build the love that heals ALL PAIN. Real women cry without feeling like less than a woman. Real men cry without feeling less than a man. Actually, people look like 'less of themselves' when they are going around mistreating people, ultimately from lack of a good cry.
I challenge us all to locate all that is good, clear out the negativity in our surroundings, and run boldly in the direction of our destiny. You are greater than you know, smarter than you believe, and more equipped than you realize. There is freedom in your transparency, boldness in your honesty, and resolve in your ability to be self-aware. My name is SpeakResilience and as always, IT'S BEEN REAL.
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PHOTO CRED- This Post photo was taken by the extraordinary force of nature that is Mr.ShotsByDotts himself, @majhatesall - Thank you Sir! Much Gratitude!
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