Personal growth is subjective and incremental. I’ve just passed a personal milestone that no one would recognize but me. Have you had those micro-moments of personal victory that no one knows about except you?
Well, today I’m celebrating our personal victories and growth milestones. Cheers to you and your personal growth!
Here’s my story: I shared a 60-second video (I was proud of and that took me hours to create) with a beloved family member whose opinion I value. The first and only comment was negative. I took a breath and changed the topic.
When I got back to my car, I realized I felt relief. I was really ok! I thought with gratitude, I don’t need your validation to feel good about myself and my work.
Off the charts personal growth milestone for me! As a kid, I often felt criticized and not good enough. In the past, when I felt criticized, it affected my self-esteem and self-confidence. I have carried around an unresolved wound for years.
On this day, I practiced the Art of Jazz Living. I responded to the unexpected with agility. I took a breath and paused to feel the feeling and acknowledge the sadness. I let the emotional trigger from my childhood wounds pass by.
Then, I could respond from my adult self. I could hear the comment from a higher perspective to find some value and tell myself, “No problem, I’ll do better next time.” When I’m less critical of myself, there’s less room for another’s criticism to rock my boat.
I am so proud of myself for not taking someone’s opinion personally. No one else can know how good that self-acknowledgement feels to me.
Your turn: When have you been able to let go of someone’s criticism without taking it personally? Or maybe that’s not your personal marker of success.
Maybe your micro-moment of personal success was when you chose not to eat your emotions and you put the cookie down. Maybe you noticed your emotional response (anger/resentment/betrayal/anxiety/fear) and stopped after one glass of wine instead of consuming the entire bottle to numb the emotion. Maybe you listened to your higher self – the still, small voice within – instead of the yappy, needy, complaining voice of ego. Because deep inside, you do know what serves your highest good.
When have you practiced Jazz Living and responded to the unexpected with agility and creativity?
Practice five principles of Jazz Living to build inner resilience.
- Find your rhythm and get present in your body.
- Reconnect to your inner wellbeing and let your mind rest.
- Listen for the groove and allow insights to bubble up from within.
- Share your voice. What wants to express uniquely through you?
- Step back and collaborate with others. Look for shared truth where new solutions can emerge.
Resilience is your ability to rise above and spring back from challenges with elasticity. Self-awareness is a top skill in your resilience toolbox.
What is a marker of your personal growth that you acknowledge for yourself? That no one else needs to know but you do need to acknowledge yourself?
The world needs your resilience today. We all need you to do the inner work of self-care so you can show up as your best self when the unexpected happens – which it will.
I’m hosting a quarterly panel of wellness experts talking about different aspects of resilience. In the second event of the series, Resilience for Harmony, we learned much from the featured presenters in 12 minutes each! Here’s a snippet:
- David asked us to listen deeply to find harmony within the sounds we hear.
- Nicole shared a story she wrote about Alex, who learned to become the conductor of her life.
- Debbie led us in a grounding exercise to feel more present in our bodies.
- Carol encouraged us to feel emotional triggers in the body to make them diminish.
- Carolyn guided us to tap into everyday experiences to uplevel our lives.
Event Link: Here’s the event link to listen to the recording:
For me personally, some of my takeaways from Resilience for Harmony were:
- David referred to the elasticity of harmony being like improvisational jazz music.
- Nicole suggested that I give myself permission to have fun since I am the conductor of my life.
- Debbie reminded me that the power of love will always cast out fear.
- Carol had me remember a time when my mind was so busy I couldn’t hear myself think.
- Carolyn’s meditation led me to release outdated stuff back to the earth to be reabsorbed.
I would love to know which speakers resonated with you. What were your takeaways?
Our next live event, Resilience for the Holidays will be on December 10, 2022. Mark your calendar! I hope you can join us!
We are building a rockstar community of people tapping into their inner wellbeing and resilience through guided meditations. You’re also invited to join us for Mid-Week Reset Meditation, 9:30-10amET on the first and third Wednesdays. Register and attend live or catch the replays here to build your resilience muscles.
Please reach out through my WU Profile or LinkedIn and share your wellness journey! I would love to connect! https://www.thewellnessuniverse.com/world-changers/leahskurdal/
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Leah Skurdal guides people to up-level their stress resilience to improve relationships. Leah shares intuitive insights in private Energy Healing to address the roots of disharmony. As an inspirational speaker and published author, Leah offers lively classes, experiential workshops, and keynotes.
