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Posts tagged ‘inner strength’

Grit, Gratitude & Grace

I love the 3 G’s — Grit, Gratitude, and Grace — as a way of being, a way to live out this daily courageous life.

It takes GRIT to follow your dreams over the long haul through all of the setbacks and struggle, and especially to stick to those dreams amidst the pull of short-term desires and distractions. It’s even more difficult when the “how” is not clear.

It’s so much easier to give in to short-term gratification than to stay the course when the going is tough. It is in these times that I rely most on my GRIT and determination. And, of course, I don’t win every battle but I always get back in the game. That’s grit, and I thank my Dad.

GRATITUDE grounds us and keeps us positive and in a positive headspace rather than allowing us to be a victim of circumstance. Personal development guru, Tony Robbins, said it’s impossible to be in a state of gratitude and focused on the negative at the same time. I agree, and have used various gratitude practices over the years to keep me on a positive path, especially when the going gets really tough. Read more

Does every cloud have a silver lining?

Reflections on a tough year and impending holiday. Not the blog I wanted or expected to write.

“Every cloud has a silver lining.” What does that mean, I wondered as a friend said those words in an attempt to comfort my heavy heart? Where did that phrase come from? While I get the spirit of it — there’s a bright side to every situation — it made me wonder if I really believed it.

Sometimes it feels impossible to imagine that even the worst situations have some positive aspect — especially when you are in the throws of it. Like when  your heart is heavy and your spirit broken. When things seem so bleak that you can’t find your way out. When you’re in physical and/or emotional pain that feels unbearable. When it seems as if the world is swirling out of control around you. Or, when something bad has happened to someone (or a whole bunch of someones) you love, and you can’t fix it.

And when this happens at the holidays, it feels even worse because there is so much anticipation and expectation around this time of year. For me, and many that I love, this is how we are feeling as we enter the holidays of 2016.

Yet as I process through it in writing this blog, I  realize that as incredibly tough as this past year and the impending holidays seem right now, I have not lost heart or hope. I just feel sad. My heart is heavy.

(Stick with me, it gets better, I promise!) Read more

A beautiful resilience

ITE_Resilence_QuoteMy blogs on the topic of “resilience” are getting a lot of attention lately. I love that when I peeled back the layers of self-protection and self-doubt, I found a beautiful resilience inside of me that I know means I will always be okay. I will always thrive.

Resilience is one of the key qualities/skills that will propel you to your goals. I am so grateful that I uncovered mine and wanted to share this quote with those of you thinking about this today. Read more

My foundation of happiness

Lori-HappyFallLast week, I was driving alone in my car (tunes cranked) on my way to a client meeting when I randomly burst into a big smile. I couldn’t ditch the smile for several minutes. The song on the radio made me think about someone special and I was grinning from ear to ear — “perma grin.” I love these spontaneous outbursts of happiness in the middle of a stressful work day!

I know what you’re thinking. Yes, it was a “guy!” But that’s not the point. We dated and he  is no longer in the picture. Nope, the girl didn’t get the boy. But instead of feeling bummed (already felt that emotion), I am truly grateful and happy that our paths crossed. We had fun. He is a great person and treated me well. While he was only in my life for a season — it was a good one and I feel blessed.

I’m recognizing small moments of happiness and gratitude, like this one, a lot lately.

Read more