By EDGE Woman Speaker, Professional Keynote Speaker, Communication Skills Expert and President of Unshakable Success®, Nancy Depcik
We’ve all experienced it. We’ve all faced challenges that have changed our lives forever. Even before this pandemic began, we have suffered halted careers, lost love or health scares.
One thing is for certain, though. In order to survive, we have to find a way to pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off and start all over again. But this time, think about it as STARTING OVER FROM THE MIDDLE.
So many times, I’ve heard people say: “I have to start all over again. It’s like I’m back to square one.”
If you have ever felt this way, I encourage you to STOP, turn around, and see how far you’ve come. With each challenge you have survived, you have learned lessons that have made you stronger and help you bounce back sooner. This is what we call resilience.
Unfortunately, resilience does not come in one-size-fits-all package. You won’t find a magic formula or a road map telling you when you have arrived at some resemblance of normalcy.
Just like we all have different personalities; we all follow different resiliency paths:
Some of us adjust quickly to the circumstances that surround us. We start a new business, develop new habits and change directions. Others find it more difficult to adjust, feeling like they can’t handle one more change. They struggle to adapt. That does not mean that they are not resilient; they just need more time, more patience and more support.
No matter what your resiliency style is, just know that everyone moves at their own pace. There is no right or wrong. Sometimes we are stuck, feeling confused and crummy. When this happens, know that it is ok to NOT feel ok. Embrace it and learn from it. Just be sure that when this happens, you are aware that it’s a place you only want to visit – and don’t stay too long.
When 2020 first began, it was a promising year for me with so many speaking engagements scheduled. Bursting with excitement, I jumped on the bandwagon along with everyone else, claiming that 2020 was “perfect vision” for the year ahead. Then suddenly, without warning, the pandemic hit, paralyzing the world and closing businesses everywhere. Surrounded by change, I could feel my business crumbling around me. As my clients began to cancel, I felt like my business was over and I was back to square one again.
With time, though, I began to move forward once again. What helped me? What propelled me forward when I felt all was lost? You guessed it – I drew on the strengths I already had developed over the years. The same strengths that helped me build my business in the first place. With a few changes and a willingness to learn, I took my position IN THE MIDDLE and started again.
Remember, whenever you are faced with challenges, you are definitely not the same person you were when you first started your journey. Because of that, you cannot go back to the same place you came from. Your experiences have made you smarter, stronger and more resilient than ever before. Mostly, you know that you can survive the hiccups in your life because you have overcome them in the past and nothing can stop you now.
Hopefully, the next time life throws you a curve, you will remember to stop, take a deep breath, acknowledge all you have accomplished, and begin again – this time FROM THE MIDDLE.
EDGE Women Speakers are dynamic, expert speakers who partner with event planners to provide exceptional service online as well as offline. From keynote sessions to intimate workshops, EDGE speaks on topics that range from mastering the complexity of change, resiliency and creativity to parliamentary procedure and board development. Entertaining and educating audiences worldwide, EDGE speakers convert interested listeners into enthusiastic participants – whether in-person or virtually.
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