Many   think   that   we’re

U     N     B     R     E     A     K     A     B     L     E

when they truest TRUTH

is that the thought of being

U  N  B  R  E  A  K  A  B  L  E

is the only thing truly

B    R    E    A    K    A    B    L    E

I recently finished reading Brene’s latest book

but it in many ways took me back to an earlier book of her’s:

“Resilience — the ability to overcome adversity — has been a growing topic of study since the early 1970s. In a world plagued by stress and struggle, everyone from psychologists, psychiatrists, and social workers to clergy and criminal justice researchers want to why and how some folks are better at bouncing back from hardship than others. We want to understand why some people can cope with stress and trauma in a way that allows them to move forward in their lives, and why other people appear more affected and stuck.

“As I collected and analyzed my data, I recognized that many of the people I interviewed were describing stories of resilience. I heard stories about people cultivating Wholehearted lives despite adversity. I learned about people’s capacities to stay mindful and authentic under great stress and anxiety, and I heard people describe how they were able to transform trauma into Wholehearted thriving.

“It wasn’t difficult to recognize these stories as tales of resilience because I was in graduate school during the heyday of resilience research. I knew these narratives were threaded with what we call protective factors — the things we do, have, and practice that give us the bounce.

Trying to be PERFECT

when you’re I M P E R F E C T

Trying to be UNBROKEN

when you’re BROKEN

is stressfully

e x h a u s t i n g

“What   Makes   Up   Resilience?

Brene suggests:

“If you look at the current research, here are five of the most common factors of resilient people:

“1. They are resourceful and have good problem-solving skills.

2. They are more likely to seek help.

3. They hold the belief that they can do something that will help them to manage their feelings and to cope.

4. They have social support available to them.

5. They are connected with others, such as family or friends.

“Of course, there are more factors, depending on the researchers, but these are the big ones.

Ms   Brown   goes   on   to   say:

“At first, I hoped the patterns that I observed in my research would lead to a very straightforward conclusion — resilience is a core component of Wholeheartedness — just like the other guideposts. But there was something more to what I was hearing. The stories had more in common than just resilience; all of these stories were about spirit.

“According to the people I interviewed, the very foundation of the ‘protective factors’ — the things that made them bouncy — was their spirituality. By spirituality, I’m not talking about religion or theology, but I am talking about a shared and deeply held belief. Based on the interviews, here’s how I define spirituality:

“Spirituality is recognizing and celebrating that we are all inextricably connected to each other by a power greater than all of us, and that our connection to that power and to one another is grounded in love and compassion. Practicing spirituality brings a sense of perspective, meaning, and purpose to our lives.

“Without exception, spirituality — the belief in connection, a power greater than self, and interconnections grounded in love and compassion — emerged as a component of resilience. Most people spoke of God, but not everyone. Some were occasional churchgoers; others were not. Some worshipped at fishing holes; others in temples, mosques, or at home. Some struggled with the idea of religion; others were devout members of organized religions. The   one   thing   that   they   all   had   in   common   was   spirituality   as   the   foundation   of   their   resilience.

“From this foundation of spirituality, three other significant patterns emerged as being essential to resilience:

“1. Cultivating hope

2. Practicing critical awareness

3. Letting   go   of   numbing   and   taking   the   edge   off   vulnerability, discomfort,  and   pain”

Now THAT

is an ALL-DAY

SUCKER

you could   s a v o r   and

s u c k   o n

for months

or maybe even a

l i f e t i m e

.          .          .Kind of gets to that inner heart chamber

of what it’s like to be a

PERFECTLY IMPERFECT

CARING CATALYST.       .       .

It’s a big  ENLIGHTENED  Universe out there

with lots of intermittent  dark  spots

that makes us continually grope for our way

o r    a    N  E  W    W  A  Y

.       .       .and isn’t that at our core we are called to do

and better.          .          .

help A N O T H E R

to SEE

to ACHIEVE

TO  B E.          .          .

.          .          .sometimes in our PERFECTLY IMPERFECTNESS

I think it’s all about finding our way

by helping others finding their’s.       .       .

WHEN    YOU    CAN’T    LOOK    ON    THE    BRIGHT    SIDE,
I       W I L L       S I T       W I T H       I N       T H E       D A R K

uhhhhhhh.     .     .what’s more SPIRITUAL

what’s more of a Caring Catalyst

is that.          .          .

T E S T      I T

f i n d   o u t