Discovery and Resilience

You are currently viewing Discovery and Resilience

At Straightforward Consulting, the theme of Discovery is about going deeper…beneath the surface…and finding valuable insights that forever transform lives for the better. The theme of Resilience is about putting those insights into practice to catapult you toward your destiny. When I read this story, it resonated with me on those two themes. It’s a practical, real-life experience of discovery and resilience.

Today’s post is from a confident, bold, generous woman – Elizabeth Mead, founder of Tandem Journey.  A seasoned, award-winning marketing strategist and certified Project Manager, Elizabeth Mead brings a unique point of view and blended tactics gained from years generating powerful results for her clients. Her let’s-get-real approach dives deep into the root of human nature and has earned her a reputation as a powerful change agent in the industry. This is her story….

Today Chris and I witnessed a woman make a reactionary choice.

In what felt like slow motion…we watched in horror as the car in front of us made a sudden decision to stop going straight…and make a knee-jerk move to turn left….right into the path of the light rail. A MOVING light rail.

Like a rubber ball, her Honda bounced off the front of the train and spun across two lanes…finding an unlikely parking spot on the curb.

I’ll pause here to say everyone is ok.

That said, I’ve spent an afternoon reflecting on the image…which felt familiar. Yet, I have never seen a car hit by a train before. I found the feeling of familiarity odd and misplaced….so I did what I do: I sat with it…I felt it out. Here is where I’ve landed: There have been moments in my life where I was traveling, seemingly straight, only to let my fear take over…and I’ve made choices, reactionary choices, that were met with what felt like a head-on collision with a train…while witnesses (aka my loved ones in my case) watched in horror and wondered “why did she choose to suddenly turn?” My world spun and I found myself disoriented in a mangled vehicle.

THAT is why it felt familiar.

That’s the thing about the moments when we let our head take over…when we choose to be ungrounded and disconnected from our center…they spin us.

I’m not sure who you are, but I’ve got a hunch that someone needs this little nugget tonight, so here it goes.

Someone out there, right now, is in the midst of a “collision” of their own. Possibly one that you’ve realized your role in.

Maybe you feel silly, or worse, “at fault” for making a sudden turn into a train you weren’t aware enough to see.

Maybe you feel unworthy of the hugs and encouragement that the people around you are trying to give you because you think your role negates your worthiness to be loved on.

Maybe you think this defines you as “bad” or “guilty”.

Maybe you are looking at the mess…the mangled mess…and thinking there is no way to get through this.

Friend, you already did. You got hit by a train AND you are still here! It was simply a nudge to wake you up…to bring you back into awareness so you can return to center. The car, the mess…it will sort itself out…you are alive…and dare I say YOU ARE STRONG, RESILIENT AND BRAVE…because you got hit by a train…and you survived it.

Now, go take a hot shower, find a calm space and make friends with your new found awareness….it will help you dodge the train next time.