By Nadine Briggs and Donna Shea
A close friend of ours is going through an extremely challenging and life-altering event. As people who have both also experienced life-altering events, we have a perspective that we are quite certain isn’t currently on the mind of our dear friend as she does her best to tackle the hurdles coming her way each day.
We can share this perspective, but it may not be truly learned and internalized until a personal tragedy shapes it in you. Sadly, not all of us will come out a stronger person when we experience a trial, but we believe that we all possess the ability to do so. So, what is the difference between a person who is shattered by life’s events versus one who becomes empowered?
We believe that everyone has the ability to find both inner peace and power within. Imagine yourself as you stand in the sand by the ocean. It where you experience both. The calm of the warm sand and the peacefulness of the sights, sounds, and smells of the beach, contrasted by the immense power of the ocean waves. They are never-ending and the power of the water is unquestionable. We all possess those traits and can access both peace and power when we have the tools to chip away at our outer layers of fear, anxiety, and uncertainty. Only then will these attributes be revealed. The uncovering of peace and power often happens while managing intense life challenges. When we are thrust into untenable situations, it is then that what is within us and what we are capable of, begins to reveal itself.
Some of us will reject the experience and bury ourselves in self-pity. We become stuck in a mindset that is sad and we feel victimized by life. Finding your own inner peace and power is not for others to present to you, but a choice that only you can make. It is finding ways to find the good even though everything around you is really, really bad at that moment in time. It is focusing on being grateful for what is right, rather than feeling miserable about what is wrong. It is acknowledging that experiences are happening to you for a purpose. It is discovering how you can use the lessons you have learned through what you have lived to help others. It is being the person who now feels empowered enough to one day help other people explore that they are powerful too. It is helping people to understand that peace does lie deep within us. It is the job of each of us to unearth it for ourselves, but it is there. Both peace and power exists within each of us – have you found yours? If yes, you understand this perspective. If no, don’t give up and give in to despair. Life hands us all events that alter us in ways that we wouldn’t choose, but we do have the power to choose how we handle them.
