Moving Forward Step One

Thank you for joining me in this journey of resilience training and hope restoration. You are caring for yourself in a important way. You are recognizing a need to catch your breath before moving on, yay you.

Each Step will take about a hour to complete. It will be helpful to locate a quiet space and time to work and dedicate a journal to process your journey.

At the beginning of every journey there is a development of a plan. A destination is determined and a route outlined. We explore our hopes, our concerns, our intentions and desires. Today we begin this journey to understand both where we are and where we are going.

To assess our starting point I suggest utilizing the wheel of awareness meditation authored by Dan Siegel, MD. This meditation is a great grounding exercise. When we are in a crisis or big change it can be difficult to near impossible to sit with our thoughts and feelings in such a way. If you are simply able it get through the first section or simply sit on your own quietly being aware of breath entering and exiting your body, being consciously aware of the thoughts and feelings you are experiencing, that’s okay, you are building that muscle and allowing that door to open in a really important way. (30 minutes)

Now take some time to journal about your awarenesses, what comes to mind? What did this exercise tell you about where you are on life’s journey? What is certain and what is not? (15 minutes)

In our final section for today we start to look at where we are going. In times of big change and adjustments the path ahead is foggy. Rather than a ultimate destination, for now lets begin with identifying a place for your next foot to land. While we all can ramble off richer, thinner, more successful aspirations, at the end of the day our true life satisfaction isn’t tied to our pocket book, waist line or number of likes. Take a moment to reflect on what values you hold dear. Brene Brown in her many books and lectures (I suggest you inhale them all - you will thank me) discusses the importance of identifying and claiming your values as a lamp to your feet. Name one to three values you hold as most important to you moving forward. Write them in your journal, maybe on a sticky note at your bedside, steering wheel or desk. As you progress into the week ask yourself how your choices are aligning with your values. (15 minutes).

Recommended Books
Mindsight: The New Science of Personal Transformation by Daniel J. Siegel | Dec 28, 2010
Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead by Brené Brown | Apr 7, 2015