Some people make the mistake of thinking that I am happy all the time, that I look for the positive in every situation. That is not at all true because that can be quite toxic. I have spoken before about noticing your feelings and acknowledging them and that is something I will definitely blog about in the near future.
In the last couple of years, although I have found something to smile about every day and most days multiple things, there have been many hard times too. And it’s how you deal with those hard times that matters.
I have had a word of the year for the past 6 or 7 years, at the start of 2021 I chose Rise. The board in front of my desk has various quotes on about rising up from adversity and words such as ‘It’s time to rise’, ‘Rise Up’. When it came to 2022 I didn’t change it as I didn’t think I had achieved that yet. It wasn’t that the word wasn’t applicable, or I had chosen the wrong word that year, far from it. I think I just haven’t fully risen yet.
To use a Great British Bake Off analogy, I’m still in the proving drawer!
It does need some updating as this poem that is on that board was very applicable in 2021 but I think I have moved of from this space. When I read that back then it was uplifting and motivating, now it sparks negative memories and feelings I have dealt with and moved on from. I don’t want to dismiss those feelings because at the time they were very reel, but I don’t need a daily reminder.
Many are staying, such as this one. They speak to me now about where I am in life, with my role within my family, my health and my businesses. It’s all about picking yourself up when you get knocked down. Acknowledging that things haven’t gone to plan, that they hurt, or are hard to deal with and move forwards. Notice the feelings, acknowledge what has happened but don’t live in the past. Rise up through it an onto tomorrow.
I came across this video on Twitter and it sums this up brilliantly how I want to live my life and approach whatever life throws at me..
Some people might view this and think he is focusing on the negative, that if you know you are going to get knocked off all the time you are constantly watching out for that bad thing to happen and living in a negative state. That’s not the point he is trying to make. He means that if you understand that life isn’t rosy all the time but good times are round the corner it helps you deal with those bad times. Learn to accept them as individual moment, not to base your outlook on them. When a surfer crashes off a wave they get wet but they don’t let that water drag them down. They let it invigorate and feed them. They learn from why they crashed off and know they have another chance soon.
When you are going through life, don’t waste it thinking every wave will crash you off your board. Don’t give up and go home thinking there is no point. You might be at a point in your life where the sea is choppy and fierce, constantly knocking you off. Get up, stay afloat and carry on. Your sea might be as still as a lake, nothing dramatic happening but nothing fun either. Relish in the calm! Or your sea may be full of amazing waves that are just the right size and shape for you, at that time ride that wave and enjoy every second!
So as much as I am keeping my word of the year as Rise, I need to remember to enjoy the parts of life that are knocking me down in the first place. Maybe enjoy is the wrong word here, I don’t want to enjoy them as that is toxic positivity. I don’t even know what the right verb is to describe it. Let’s just settle with it not getting me down, as it is part of life. To enjoy spotting those waves coming (I’m actually quote good at that and can tell if a wave is worthy of a surf, no analogy there, really!), to enjoy the view and when I do get knocked off taste let that salty water invigorate me instead of pulling me down.
