Imperfect Resilience

Life comes at you fast, and not always as you’ve designed it in your mind.

I’ve reflected on the idea of resilience and equanimity over the years (didn’t sleep much last night thinking about them actually), and have always been drawn to the stories of those who have overcome much and have gone on to do amazing things. I link to one of those stories below. The idea of applying that in real life is complicated though, as we can’t always prepare for the unexpected. Again, life comes at you fast. But what I believe we can do is lay our foundation through daily practice and then hope we are present enough to remember it when life does throw us a curve.

• Meditate and lean on your mindful practice

• Come back to your purpose and your values, using them as your anchor

• Reflect on the people who matter to you most and think about the impact your strength and resilience have on them

• Know that helping others is one of the quickest ways to help yourself reset and find alignment

• Don’t forget to move

• “The impediment to action advances action. What stands in the way becomes the way.” Marcus Aurelius

• “Mood follows action“ Rich Roll

This list has been an important part of my first week of 2023 and I wanted to share it here for anyone else in need of it. I’m looking forward to some upcoming posts on consistency, training, and other forward-facing things, but for now, let’s just start with this short meditation on strengthening our foundation of resilience, for ourselves and for those we care about.

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Thank you for reading and for any thoughts you want to share with the community in the comments below.

Paul

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Podcast Episode

John McAvoy: From Life Sentence to Life of Purpose (Rich Roll Podcast)

This is definitely a story to listen to all the way through to the end, and it’s a key example of why I love the Rich Roll Podcast and his ability to bring out the stories of so many people from different backgrounds and experiences. This one is truly unbelievable and an example of how we can overcome anything, from the way we were raised to the choices we have made, if we are determined to do so (and get a little help along the way).

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What I’m fueling with right now

• Food: Sweet Potato Chickpea Buddha Bowl from Minimalist Baker - Kelly and I love this one

• Workouts: I’m experimenting with more base training (Zone 2) - more volume, less intensity