Create New Traditions – A New Normal
The dance of life is unscripted. If fortunate enough to have a plan, realize that no recovery plan is foolproof; many are fraught with stumbles and false starts. Even when tempted to give up, with futility looming large, it is easy to become convinced of potential doom from the challenge that has befallen your plans. Remembering that life can have missteps, which are most often not fatal, we learn to make those missteps a part of life’s dance.
There are times when the past weighs you down to the point you can’t see a new or different future. Know that you can emerge on the other side of a renewal phase. It takes reflection, planning, and commitment to a new normal.
Meet Katie who started an office supply company when she was in her twenties. She grew the small business from her spare bedroom into a thriving brand with over three dozen employees. She was proud of what she’d done and the life she’d created for herself.
But three years ago, Katie discovered someone had embezzled the company’s funds and left it nearly bankrupt. The employee who’d committed this crime was Katie’s mother.
In the coming months, Katie lost everything—both her business and her home. She found herself in her forties, starting her whole life over again.
Maybe you’ve found yourself in Katie’s shoes. You’ve lost everything, and you have no choice but to rebuild your entire life. But you’re not sure what that process should look like exactly.
Let Go
Start by letting go. Think about the things that are no longer serving you. Katie had spent years building up her business only to lose it. For a long time, she could only focus on what she had.
A friend encouraged her to stop looking backward. “You can’t move forward in your car if the gear is stuck in reverse,” She advised. “Terrible things happen to everyone. You don’t get a choice in that. What you do get to decide is what gear you’ll put your life in.”
Create New Traditions
Sometimes, the hardest part of starting over is letting go of the habits and lifestyle that we loved. Don’t get caught up in sitting around, wishing for how things were. Create new traditions that honor what your life looks like now. While starting over may be painful but look at creating a new normal for you.
Design Your Vision
When you’re forging a new path in life, it’s easy to get focused on what you don’t want. For example, if you’re leaving a bad marriage, you may swear off romantic relationships.
While blanket statements may make you feel good, they don’t help you create more of what you want in your life. This is where a vision board can be helpful. You can use one to create a positive image of the new life you’re looking to make.
The vision board you make can be physical—you can grab magazines, books, and other old media to create yours. But a vision board can also be digital and you can use a website like Dream It Alive or Vision Board to design yours.
Rebuilding your life after adversity isn’t easy. But you have the smarts (and the power!) to do it. Embrace the season as a renewal and rebirth phase in your life!
Find out how to create the life you crave when you download your free workbook (Bounce Back – Master the Power of Resiliency)!