Resilience Archives - Living Upward

A Gift for You

Susan — Tue, 13 Dec 2022 22:12:29 +0000

Everyday I have the power to choose who I’ll be. When I wrote my book, After Rain, I chose to balance this serious effort with playfulness and ease. I knew these intentions were essential to creating the magic became After Rain.

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The Best Day of My Life

Susan — Tue, 13 Dec 2022 22:10:52 +0000

Is it possible to make today the best day of my life? Actually I’m the only one who can! My fate is not determine by the events of the day but by my perceptions of them. It’s true – I have the power to create my day.

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Sing a Song of Gratitude

Susan — Tue, 13 Dec 2022 22:09:16 +0000

Gratitude is the song I want to sing all day long. When I open my heart wide to the present moment I hear the song and join in. I send it right back out, singing to you in a spirit of generosity.

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The Easy Way Out

Susan — Fri, 23 Apr 2021 23:43:27 +0000

When I arrived for a visit with my three-year old grandson, Birch, he was stamping his feet, hiding in the corner and whining that today is “the worst day of my life.” I get it. Bad moments can quickly become bad days. And it all happens when our thoughts and emotions trap us into one point of view and then there we are, victims of a “ruined” day.

But Birch, like most three year-olds, is resilient and eager to enjoy life, so within minutes he was out of the corner, wildly curious and eager to be happy and engaged in whatever the moment had to offer. He was thriving, and it looked so simple.

I was inspired.

Now when I catch myself in a stream of thoughts — “another cloudy day;” “my back aches;” “why doesn’t Claire do what I ask?” — I pause. I breathe. And in a brief moment of stillness, the dramas lose their power. Instead I can feel a whisper of ease on this cloudy day and more at peace with my achiness. And I’m curious now about my relationship with Claire. So without the resisting or rejecting, I’m free to welcome and reimagine each moment, and, that is truly empowering. By simply saying yes to what is I have set myself free. I may not know what I’ll do next but I do know I own my power – and the wisdom that comes with stillness – to decide.

So like Birch, I discovered that there’s an easy way out of my self-imposed corner. The door is always open. I’m free to go, and when I do, I will be wildly curious and eager to engage in the fullness of each moment.

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Imagine the Possibilities

Susan — Tue, 12 Jan 2021 22:10:32 +0000

Be still and notice the thought in your head. Yes, that one. It usually begins with “I can’t,” “he shouldn’t,” “the world is a mess.” Now hold onto it before the next thought rushes in. Be curious. What does it say about you and your perception of the world? Does it limit you and the choices you make? Thoughts often do.

I encourage you to question it, turn it upside down, expand it, shrink it, say goodbye to it. It was a helpful thought once. It may even have saved your life. So be kind to yourself but be brave too and stretch beyond your critique or expectation. It’s there you’ll find the freedom and confidence to welcome the new possibilities that each and every moment have to offer.

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