“If you think you’ve made a mistake, it’s not a mistake if you’ve learnt from it: Its part of your learning curve. It only becomes a mistake if you repeat it and haven’t learnt from it.” – Dadi Janki
BOOST YOUR INNER STRENGTH AND WELL-BEING
The foundation of personal resilience is taking time each day to create a sense of self that is unshakable. Knowing yourself, your potential and what is meaningful to you is the key to building resilience and giving a boost to your inner strength and sense of well-being.
Ask yourself three questions each day:
• What have I done today?
• What have I seen in someone else that was positive or inspiring today?
• What did I do that was positive or inspiring today?
Resilience is about understanding the emotions we have, and being open and courageous as we look within. I need to check in with myself: What am I doing with my inner space? Are my thoughts driven by fear, or can I look within and discover what is amazing about me?
The more intentional and proactive I become as an individual, the more I am creating a basis of wellness. Taking the time to care and nurture myself gives me the courage to move forward. To live a life that is valuable and connected, we must first be open, curious, compassionate, caring and connected with ourselves. This good relationship with our self becomes an inner compass that allows us to steer through any situation and have the courage that it takes to move forward.
As my resilience grows, my trust in others also grows, which enables them to also have a greater sense of resilience.
BOUNCE BACK FROM SETBACKS AND FAILURE
“How could I have done that? I could have kicked myself.” When we dwell on failure, we break our self-trust and we set in motion self-sabotage mechanisms which prevent us from feeling joy. At that moment of failure, it is easy to feel that things are rock bottom. Over the years, a number of things have helped me when I experience a setback or failure. When I have this experience, I ask myself one question: Do I want to be right? Or do I want to be happy?
It is more important to be happy, right? I have learnt that failure is not as drastically bad as we tend to project it. The first thing about failure is that it gives you time to reflect and learn from the situation. When we do this, the ability to bounce back becomes very natural.
The gift of failure is that it teaches me empathy, humility, compassion and kindness. I have made some mistakes, but I am also growing. I learn to accept myself and let the past be the past. Another gift of failure is that it brings newness, courage and creativity – it shows me that it’s possible to do things differently.
THRIVE THROUGH UNCERTAINTY AND CHANGE
When I feel that my feet are not on solid ground, when there is uncertainty and change, ask yourself these questions:
• What does being completely peaceful mean to me?
• What does it mean to be a creative force?
• What is the vision that I hold for myself?
• Am I the most important person in my life?
The vision that you hold for yourself gives the result. Meditation is an ideal way to boost positive energy and anchor ourselves in a vision of inner peace and resilience. Simple thoughts relax the mind and create a little space in our day to experience peace, happiness, gratitude and love.
Meditation experiences of peace, gratitude and love create unlimited reserves of resilience.
Arti Lal is the co-ordinator of Inner Space, a Brahma Kumaris self-development and meditation centre, in Covent Garden, London, UK.
