Friends, it’s time for some real talk. Today I don’t want to talk about your diet or your fitness. I just want to honestly share how I’m feeling.
I don’t know about you, but I’m tired of having to be resilient. And, while we’re at it, I’m also tired of being tired. Can I get a hell yeah?
We’re all dealing with a lot right now. All of us. Me and you. Everyone.
As a small business owner trying to survive in an ever-changing Covid-19 business landscape, I’m tired.
As a human being trying to thrive in an ever-changing Covid-19 world, while battling health challenge after health challenge, I’m tired.
Throw the weekend’s major flood event into the mix, and we can all be forgiven for finding ourselves in “stick a fork in me I’m done” mode.
Like so many of you, I sat stranded at home, completely heartbroken, as I watched our city flood via social media and rolling tv newsfeeds.
I cried as I saw images of local businesses and homes flooded, again, families escaping with nothing but the family dog and a few suitcases. It has been an incredibly emotional week for us all. And it’s only just the beginning. Clean up hasn’t even begun.
Covid, war, floods … no one could have expected how much we would have to endure in the first two months of 2022. Endure being the operative word.
And, yet again, we’re being called on to be “resilient”. To flex our resilience muscles. We simply must. We don’t have any other choice.
Now, I have battled more than my fair share of emotional and physically obstacles throughout my lifetime. From the suicide of my first husband through to a myriad of serious, ongoing health conditions, eating disorders, relationship challenges, and now trying to keep two businesses afloat during Covid, I’ve proudly survived a lot.
I’m a positive, high-energy human who believes in the power of the mind. But even I have my limits.
But do you know what else I have in spades? Resilience. Sure, I wish I didn’t have to draw on it, yet again, but I’m so glad I can.
And what exactly is resilience? It’s the capacity to recover quickly from difficulties.
I’m so grateful for all that I have endured, as it has prepared me for all that’s to come.
Over the weekend, I was genuinely sad for our city. I decided to lean into the sadness, to feel it, to cry, and to work through it. And do you know what I found at the other side of that sadness? Resilience. Again. My old friend was there waiting for me with a comforting hug and a smile.
Next, I did what I do best. I sprang into action, came up with some ideas, reached out to my two business communities and personal connections, offered free online gym classes and access to WOW! equipment, and flexed my resilience muscles. I also shared some funny posts (did you see that the weather system, at one stage, was in the shape of a giant penis? Seriously!)
It’s not always easy to get back up after a heavy fall. Whether that fall is a failed business, a case of Covid-19, a broken relationship, the diagnosis of an incurable health condition, or a life-altering flood event.
But you can and you will. All you have to do is take one step and one breath. Just one. Then another. and another.
And before you know it, you’ll be up and about and demonstrating your resilience all over the place. Because you, dear friend, are resilient. You just don’t feel it right now, and that’s okay. It’s a process.
Thankfully, we also live in one hell of a resilient city. Few bounce back quicker than Ipswich.
If you have been impacted by the floods in any way, know you’re not alone. Your community has got you. The Loz Life tribe has got you. I’ve got you.
Please reach out and let me know how we can help. We can work on strengthening our resilience together.
