thinking about resilience and hope, beauty and joy

I recently read an article about the qualities that make a good entrepreneur. The one that stuck with me was this: resilience.
resilience: the ability to become strong, healthy, or successful again after something bad happens.*
I kept thinking about that word. About people who, after failure, get up, brush themselves off and try again. I thought about resilience in the garden. Plants that come back after being decimated by pests or shriveled by drought or damaged by frost.

Therese Bugnet, Rose, Pink Rose, Anne Butera, My Giant Strawberry

A plant doesn't think about it. It just grows again. Or doesn't.

garden, cilantro, seedlings, Anne Butera, My Giant Strawberry

I kept thinking about resilience as it pertains to rejection. I've written about rejection before. It's a constant struggle. Facing rejection and persevering. I've had some rejections lately. But I've also had some reassurances, reminders from the universe to keep going. Keep going, my constant mantra.

Yesterday, as I was thinking about all of this and struggling with a problem that Matthias and I have been dealing with, I read about the shootings in Charleston. My heart ached and I thought how resilience isn't just necessary for entrepreneurs, it's needed for everyone in this world where sometimes anger, hatred and ugliness seem to outweigh all else.

woods, nature, Anne Butera, My Giant Strawberry

And yet, they don't. Yes, there is ugliness and hatred and all manner of atrocities, every single day all over the world. We are all struggling with some problem or fear, some trouble or rejection or heartache. But, there is also beauty, hope, joy, love. The world is filled with those things, too.

The other night I was agonizing over the problem I mentioned. My thoughts replayed in a loop and I couldn't break free from them. And then I noticed that the light had changed. I got up to look outside. The sky was shifting from golden to pink. It was cloudy and I couldn't see the sunset, but the air was glowing. It was beautiful. Magical. A perfect reminder just when I needed one. I stood in that moment, soaking it in and letting my thoughts and anxiety drop away.

roses, Anne Butera, My Giant Strawberry

Focusing on beauty and joy and love, being hopeful, doesn't erase the ugliness, but it does help us to be resilient, to move forward, to keep going.

I know you are struggling with something. Each of us is. I wish resilience for you. I wish that you can focus on the beauty and love and joy in the world and pass it on to others. Share the hope. Be that golden glowing moment and help build resilience in us all.


*from Merriam-Webster online

Comments

  1. I am sorry to hear you have had some rejections recently Anne, and over time we do build up a resilience to them. I have read before that what you focus on gets bigger so if you focus on a problem it gets bigger, conversely if you focus on the good things in life they will get bigger. I hope that whatever is troubling you, in time, will pale into insignificance. Wishing you a wonderful weekend filled with lots of positive things. :-)

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    1. Thank you, Simone, for your kind thoughts.

      You're so right about focus. If you're focusing on the negative, that's all you see.

      I hope your weekend is wonderful and filled with positive things, too!

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  2. Yes.
    At any given moment, we can take a deep breath and begin again.
    Resilience, beauty, hope, joy...these are the thing that will help us change the world.
    Sending light and love your way, friend.

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    1. Thanks so much, Karen.

      I do love that thought of beginning again with each breath. Fresh starts, even tiny ones, are so hopeful.

      Sending light and love back your way, too.

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  3. Beautifully written, Anne, and I agree. Being resilient keeps us from becoming brittle and cynical, and there is always another way to view our problems. Hope you are enjoying the weekend. xo

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    1. Thank you, Judy. Resilience as the opposite of brittle and cynical... I like that thought.

      Hope your weekend has been wonderful!

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  4. Well done Anne, I have been in that spot too.
    You do such a great job putting feelings into words.
    Carla

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    1. Thanks so much, Carla.

      We're all struggling at one time or another, feeling it more some times than others.

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  5. Beautiful and uplifting post. Sending you thoughts of strength and love!

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    1. Thanks so much, Aga! I can feel your positive thoughts!

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