Certain and Resilient

Affirmation: I deserve good things. I trust God’s work in my life.

This week as we focus on the Certain Decision. I have a Decided Heart, from Mastering the Seven Decisions by Andy Andrews, it seems that the practice of cultivating resilience and letting go of numbing and powerlessness fits right along side it. 

Guidepost 3: Cultivating Your Resilient Spirit, Letting Go of Numbing and Powerlessness

Resilience is your ability to overcome adversity and bounce back from losses, errors, and setbacks.

Brené Brown shares five common qualities of resilient people:

• Resilient people are resourceful problem-solvers
  
• Resilient people seek help when they need it
  
• Resilient people take ownership of their ability to take action to manage their feelings
  
• Resilient people have access to social support
  
• Resilient people are connected with other people
  

When Brené Brown talks about cultivating your resilient spirit, she notes that “across the board, wholehearted men and women are spiritual, which means wholehearted people have “a deeply held belief that we are inextricably connected to each other by something greater than us.”

It’s this oneness that provides a sense of purpose and perspective in life, even when the going gets tough. It helps you recognize that you always have what you need within you to persevere through challenges and setbacks. (You have the ability to make a decision and move forward.)

Numbing, on the other hand, is a way of ignoring the challenges that need your attention. Numbing activities like television, surfing social media, impulsive eating and drinking keep you comfortable. But they don’t develop resilience. And since they’re a mechanism for avoidance, they contribute to feelings of powerlessness. (when I am in the numbing mode, I struggle to DECIDE. I am numb physically, mentally and emotionally.)

In the long run, numbing makes you less well-equipped to handle the inevitable challenges of your life. And by numbing the low points, you also numb your ability to experience the potential high-points of life.

As you strive to be certain and have a decided heart, 

As you think about resilience consider this from Andy Andrews: “I have a decided heart. My destiny is assured.
So what is a decided heart? A decided heart has to do with how we make decisions and our conduct after that decision is made; it has nothing to do with the action or persistence.

We all know people who get locked into endless analysis, never moving past the decision making avalanche. The endless opinion gathering process and uncertainty gathers momentum, like a snowball rolling down hill, getting bigger and bigger as the in the analysis gets more complex. When they finally make a decision, the analysis continues.

Although there are questions that cannot be answered, they can be decided. Remember, most of the time you won’t have all the facts you need to give you a complete picture. You will, however, have all the facts you need to make a decision.

Have you ever been a participant in this conversation?
“where do you want to go to eat?”
“I don’t know. Where do you want to go to eat?”
“Truly… Wherever you want to go

Note that people who make a decision and then make it right are the people we admire in our society. They have decided hearts, and their destiny is assured. When you exhibit a decided heart and commit yourself to fulfillment of the destiny you’ve chosen, your life will never be the same. People will follow you everywhere, seeking your wisdom and advice – – all because you have a decided heart. Challenges that previously seemed were mountains in your life melt at your feet when you have a decided heart.

Identifying your drivers
At this point in our exploration of the seven decisions,  you have identified numerous areas for growth and even committed to some actions now based on what you’ve learned about yourself so far,  choise three specific decisions you have made in the course of your reading.

For each decision right all the reasons why it is important – why it is a must? What will following through on this decision give you? How will your life change? The drivers behind your decisions are what will give you the energy to see them through. The more powerful the driver, the more committed you’ll become.

Jacque’s 3

1. Build a daily habit of time with God: reading, learning, praying 

2.Build my relationships with Douglas, our kids and their families.

3. Do something each day that positively impacts someone else.