Tag: resilience

Progress. Weather Permitting.

January 31, 2022 by Cassandra Johnson
Image Credit by Mesym of Pixabay

Relying on my resilience to go the next route, especially as I am reminded there is a difference between contentment and complacency. Work on my own is good but it can be better, like other elements of life. They can be good. I cannot complain but they can be better. Therefore, hold me accountable to hitting the road virtually and otherwise doing what is truly required.

I can be gracious and want more, realizing a lot of us do not note how much we deserve or are capable of completing.

Life feeds us challenges in circumstances and people, not even so clever. We may even let them believe they are clever (picking our battles) and for me, navigating some of the gloom and those who just cannot bring themselves to believe in me is a challenge. I imagine the challenge this must present in a lot of people’s experiences. Even those who believe in mediocre accomplishments for you can detract from your natural fans and the support system you do have; those people who you may incidentally sometimes not notice as much, because there is no need to defend or prove yourself to them. I try to focus more on the supporters these days; the people who expect a lot and are impressed by what I’ve experienced, completed, and what the future may hold. Hopefully everyone has those people. They do not or refuse to know another version of you.

Was resilience taught? Maybe acquired. Mario Bros said a lot about me. Interesting. Oddly. Obsessively? Work followed by reward. I still believe in efforts and returns and enjoying the challenge (in a lot of instances) and the satisfaction of coming out ahead. Such a simple hard concept but I was driven to lean into it. The song I noted in the post You Are Here taught me this, but then again also maybe this was just another highlight to the ideology I was getting on how working hard pays off.

Of course, one learns differently and sometimes roughly of how the concept is not always true. Yet, the ideal theory seems to also work and how can we not have some faith in that. People with real talent become stars and athletes and star athletes. Movies and books teach us to identify with the happy honest outcome, keen on integrity, and we see the possibility. Hope is necessary.

So I’m turning over this level of achievement and the next pages require even more refinement even if there are some moments I temporarily feel defeated (naturally – thinking I have given in). Sometimes I just need a moment and then I’m hitting the pavement again in person and virtually mostly as it gets safer, putting myself more out there in my freelance and other work. Couldn’t I have infinite chances just so long as I can press pause and/or keep starting the level over. Oh sigh at not being Mario, perhaps, but I will work with what I got.😉

Play Big. Play Often.

APRIL 29, 2020 BY CASSANDRA JOHNSON
Image Credit by Alexas_Fotos on Pixabay

Life being too short and precious, experiencing grief and seeing it unfold reminds me how I want to appreciate what we have. I think about how I want to approach each goal and how I want to simply live and share without overthinking it and without dismissing opportunities.

Whether it be future travels, social connections, or our livelihoods, I’m sure we all have unique expressions to continually bring to the world. This is a place you can always share yours.

This has been a sad time for the world collectively, on every imaginable level. This has also been a time of resilience and revelation. We could take the time to reexamine our goals. We could become better at old skills, learn some new ones. We could take a moment, work on reducing stress and getting rest. We could take care of our souls. I think one part of staying healthy and whole is being aware of the right choices for ourselves as often as possible – figuring out what is true for us and void of external influences. Though we are irreplaceable to one another and we need our environment and our community, awareness can go a dangerous way. We may have found this out very early, when we were in school and perhaps became painfully aware of some difference between us and other classmates. We may have felt it and not been able to verbalize it.

When I wrote similarly about this a few days ago, it seemed as easy as “being true to yourself”. The harder part I know is doing that in the context of working not to be judged, trying not to fail and making sure to have all your needs met. For me, that means I equally haven’t taken 100 percent of the risks which I knew weren’t technically dangerous. The biggest threat was to the seeming comfort of not standing out. However, I’m pleased to have grown older and earned my “RiskySafeTravels”, when for seemingly inexplicable reasons, I don’t question my initial good instincts.

Risks seem tiny and large from day to day even in something like sharing an interest, defending someone, or me dancing before the club has officially transitioned from dinner to party hour.

I never want to encourage others or myself to take risks that put their lives or anyone else’s life in danger, nor take any risks that would alter their social or financial ability to live securely. However, I venture to encourage us to pay attention to natural joy. My joy seemed stifled from time to time, conforming in unwelcome circumstances. I see joy as not being secured from anything purchased or some great compliment we can receive. True, we can delight in such pleasure and appreciate it, but in me, it’s those times of being okay or getting to being okay, no matter what. Self-acceptance and acceptance of others, being creative, immersed in a passion project and talent, it’s just there. It’s just there, complementing a sense of well-being, providing peace and welcoming the kind of challenges that help us grow rather than drain us.

With even more time to reflect, I am interested in taking bigger chances on some skills and experiences I’ve played with just a little here and there. I’m playing two roles this week. One is employee and the second is owner. No surprise that the second needs some more focus. 😊 Not that it’s any less commendable to enhance a quality organization’s mission statement, but truly important to remember your own.