7 Principles of Bending |
by Beth Lueders
-
Pain is not the enemy.
Years ago after two injury car accidents, I labeled my spinal pain as the “silent tormentor.” I begged for the pain to stop, for the emotional crushing to end. But you know what? The pain was not the enemy. I was.
____________________________________________________________________
-
Resiliency is a process not a point.
So often in coming back from adversity, you want life to begin anew on your timetable. You make a decision to move forward, but true resiliency is shaped over time and not in the today.
____________________________________________________________________
-
Floating moves you farther ahead than flailing.
When you’re drowning in the muck of tough times, it’s easy to start flailing in your attempt to rescue yourself. But if you pause and let yourself float, often you’ll find a life preserver that was right next to you all along.
____________________________________________________________________
-
Dare to muddle through the messiness.
I get muddling, which the dictionary describes as jumbled or confused, or as I prefer to say, “scooching.” Some days muddling is about all we you do. . . and it’s okay.
____________________________________________________________________
-
Intentionally refresh your thinking.
Your mind can get clogged with the debris of self-doubt, worry, frustration, anger, despair, and more. Purposefully removing mental clutter restarts your planning, creativity, and success.
____________________________________________________________________
-
Vulnerability is strength in disguise.
You may find it hard to open up to others when you are going through difficulties and setbacks. Sharing with authentic honesty is not a sign of weakness but of courage and steadiness. Vulnerability makes you power-FULL not power-LESS.
____________________________________________________________________
-
Joy will emerge in the struggle.
A friend once explained to me a truth he learned in seminary: “If everything is joy then there is no joy.” It may be startling to hear, but adversity actually awakens joy in you.
____________________________________________________________________