Sometimes life throws you curveballs.
Sometimes you can swerve, and sometimes you get knocked down.
If you have been knocked down in the past (or maybe you are right now), I know what it’s like, I have been there and it is hard.
You can choose to throw yourself a pity party, or you can choose to see every challenge or trial as an opportunity. And I believe everything happens for a reason.
After a very unexpected diagnosis and subsequent heart surgery, I was “benched” for quite awhile. I had several complications and a long, difficult recovery. Not the situation a healthy, mid 30s, wife and mom of two boys wants in any way, shape, or form.
My view from the sidelines afforded me a lot of time to think, evaluate, learn and grow. Here are some lessons that I learned from the sidelines:
- Healing is NOT linear. This one was a hard pill to swallow. I am doing everything right, why am I taking steps backwards? There are good days and hard days. No matter what you’re going through, we need to give ourselves grace and plan for those less good days. Healing or progress in any struggle we may be dealing with, is not always going to be that perfect straight line we imagine. And that is ok. We need to accept that and persevere regardless. Stay positive and keep your eye on your end goal.
- Change is inevitable, growth is optional. My situation was completely out of my control, but instead of anger or resentment, I could choose growth. I can turn a tough situation into an opportunity. I can come out of this stronger than before, both physically and mentally (and I have!). Some things may never be quite the same, but I can choose gratitude for all that I still have, and all that I accomplished and earned back.
- Your circumstances do not have to define you. Through hard work, determination, perseverance and the right mindset, you can overcome adversity. You can accomplish your goals in spite of your circumstances, and they do not have to dictate what those goals are. While life may knock you down, you are in control of your own success. Put a roadblock in my way, I will find a way to rise above. People thought I was crazy to think that I could climb a mountain just six months after my surgery, but I believed in me, and I DID IT!
- Celebrate all the little things. When you are going through a hard time or working towards a big goal, sometimes the smallest steps feel like the biggest victories. And those victories don’t have to look big to anyone else, but you recognize the wins for what they are- and celebrate! This keeps you positive, grateful, and the forward momentum going. You can accomplish great things, one step at a time.
Our situations may look nothing alike, but no matter what you are going through, the lessons are still the same.
Whether you are currently on the sidelines or not, I hope you find this encouraging, because I am here to tell you that YOU can do great things. You can get off the bench, and do whatever you set your mind to. That doesn’t mean it won’t be an uphill battle, but with determination and gratitude you can persevere.
With Grace,
