“We deceive ourselves when we fancy that only weakness needs support. Strength needs it far more.”
– Anne Sophie Swetchine
Today’s post was prompted by a facebook status update I read from Brene Brown, a research professor who studies vulnerability, courage, shame, and authenticity (www.brenebrown.com). I first discovered her through an inspirational TED talk and have since been interested in what she has to say in her latest research on humanity. In her post she asked “What are the 5 best decisions of your adult life so far?”
This was interesting because I’ve spent the past week trying to conceptualize how I wanted to convey my latest thoughts on goal setting, staying focused, and realizing our strengths. I’ve been thinking this way, because being in my 3rd week of school, I’m observing patterns forming around me and within me that look something like this;
1. feeling overwhelmed with work and responsibilities
2. trying to suppress the overwhelm, acting like everything is fine, until it bubbles over
3. becoming sad, ashamed, disappointed (fill in the self-hate emotion here) and thinking of everything that’s wrong, possibly creating more friction by thinking something is wrong and feeding off of our weaknesses
4. having to get over it some way or another because life indeed continues to go on… how we do this? often by sweeping it all under the rug without actually solving the original issue of feeling overwhelmed.
So how does this all connect with the original question “What are the 5 best decisions of your adult life so far?” I think this is an opportunity to take some time to think of what brought you where you are right now in the most positive possible way. Five decisions that highlighted your strengths in your adult life that you can reflect on and be proud of- did you get married? have children? quit your job? move away? follow your heart? fall down? get back up?… This puts some perspective in the hard work and dedication you have invested into becoming who you are today whether it involve career, family, healthy relationships, community building, service, or pursuing your passions. It’s a perspective check on those feelings of overwhelm we get in the daily moments of stress to remind you why you’re doing what you’re doing in the first place.
For me, moving across the country and studying Classical Chinese Medicine are 2 of my 5 best adult decisions. I’m acquiring the resources and tools to treat my future community while allowing myself to heal along the journey. Without these experiences, all the cultivating I’ve done to be who I am today would not have been available for me. I’m so grateful for following my intuition. 
What’s next? I think it’s a good day to set a new goal, to keep the fire going as the cold weather takes over and causes us to retreat and hibernate. Setting a goal today is making a choice to be determined to make a positive change in your well-being. This could be the next best decision you make in your ever changing life!
So many of us question and think of things like; if the job we’re in is right for us…if the city we live in is really conducive to our way of living… why we give up an extracurricular activity when we know how happy and fulfilling it makes us… why day one of a new health regimen always starts tomorrow…
These are thoughts that hold us back from being completely in the present moment and appreciative of what our strengths really are. We all know how it feels to accomplish something that is good for us- it’s amazing, empowering, and can certainly boost our confidence. Finish that knitting project, start that new exercise program, try a new *fall* recipe, have that talk with that person you’ve been meaning to share your feelings with… you never know where it will lead you.
These goals can be small or big as long as the motivation is there to prevent your well-being from becoming stagnant. I’m happy to support you in any way… please feel free to share what your new goal will be. You set the goal, you set the timeline… it’s your life, after all
All my best, always…
