How do you handle life's most stressful moments?
There are seconds left on the clock.
The game is on the line.
The ball is in your hands.
Did that make you feel queasy? I’ve watched my son play nail biting water polo tournaments and close call football games. It’s those last few game-determining seconds that I almost have to leave the stands. The pressure is so intense.
Yet what happens when the game is my life or your life? What do we do when we are forced to come face to face with loss, illness or a life changing decision? Our ability to hold the ball and shoot the shot when our life is on the line comes down to one key decision you can make right now.
You can choose today to start a journey of growth. The steps you take to develop better habits, a stronger mindset, deeper friendships will grow roots down into the soil of your life and anchor you when times are tough.
As a woman entering the second half of life I know firsthand that I can’t wait around for life to get easier. It doesn’t. I do know that I must become better or go sit in the stands and watch life with all of its opportunities pass me by.
Here are a few things that I have learned on my journey to becoming better.
Be honest with ourselves.
Take a good look around. Assess where we stand in the areas of work, faith and life.
One growth area that I am working on professionally is to accept and be thankful for criticism. Yes! I did say “be thankful”. I tend to want to defend myself when a critique comes my way and that is revealing a lack of maturity in myself. A wise person hears a criticism, is honest with themselves and then asks, how can I do better?
Where might you be able to grow in your work?
Be honest with ourselves.
Take a good look around. Assess where we stand in the areas of work, faith and life.
One growth area that I am working on professionally is to accept and be thankful for criticism. Yes! I did say “be thankful”. I tend to want to defend myself when a critique comes my way and that is revealing a lack of maturity in myself. A wise person hears a criticism, is honest with themselves and then asks, how can I do better?
Where might you be able to grow in your work?
Hands down one of the best and most rewarding faith building practices I have developed is a morning routine involving journaling. I realized I was starting the day racing and not taking the time to get my mind right. I formed a new habit of early morning reading and writing my reflections and prayers in my journal. It sets my intentions and grounds me for the day. This is now a non-negotiable in my life.
What could you be doing to grow stronger in your faith?
For me in 2023 I really want to gain a better understanding of finances, especially as it pertains to retirement and revenue streams. I am proactively working on gathering resources and mentors to help me grow in this crucial area. It is a core focus for me. I know I can do better.
What about you? Which of the Five F’s could you really focus on this year?
Be Intentional.
Intentional is doing life on purpose, being deliberate about our days. Once you have taken inventory of your life and where you need to grow, create a growth plan. That may seem like an overwhelming task, yet not having a plan means your are allowing life to just run it course!
You have already assessed where you currently stand, now consider where you would like to be five years from now. Dream BIG! Get specific with yourself and consider the work, faith, life model above. Write it, map it and work with it until you have a firm grasp of your vision.
Your next step will be to determine the ONE THING that needs to happen in order to get the ball rolling. This will be your first step. Be intentional with that first step. Gather the resources, the support team, and put the structure in place to go full force into completing that first step. Once accomplished, move on to the next and continue to repeat.
When I first started my growth journey, the very first thing I realized is that I did not have a support team of people who were on the same page with me and supported my growth plan. My One Thing was to develop friendships, find mentors and resources to give me the strength to be intentional on my journey. What a monumental difference that made!
What does being intentional look like for you?
Be Consistent.
We don’t sit and watch a plant grow, but we can come back in a week and see that progress has been made. Our growth is not immediately evident. However, after taking consistent steps day after day your work, faith and life muscles will get stronger. That’s a 100% Guarantee!!!
Stay the course. Show up for practice every day. Put in the extra mile. Over time you will look back at the start of your journey to where you are standing now and you will see growth. You will be able to feel the muscles getting stronger. Your confidence in your abilities will grow, because you have done the work. Others will begin to take notice and call on you for advice when times are tough.
When the game is on the line, the preparation that you have consistently set forth will now be exactly what steadies your resolve. The roots from your growth work are now so deep, down into the soil, that you are the one to whom the ball is given. Not surprisingly, you will be strong and confident enough to not only hold that ball, but shoot the shot and win the game.
The time to start your growth journey is today, so you can be stronger for your tomorrows.
Let’s grow, my friends!
