When we revisit the tough times in our life, it’s an opportunity to celebrate our resilience. You might think of resilience as bouncing back. I like to think of it as bouncing back and BEYOND so your old ceiling becomes your new floor. You create a new normal.
Day #5 of the 30-day Blog Rock Star Challenge invites me tell about a tough time in my life. The years following college graduation are fertile ground for those stories. Mine were no exception. The year before graduating with my Bachelor’s degree in Nutrition and Dietetics I realized that an additional year of unpaid internship would be required to even hope to be employed as a Registered Dietitian.
It all seemed completely doable except that after graduating I wasn’t accepted into any of the internship programs. I had good grades but needed healthcare experience.
Life had delivered a tough time.
Suddenly I’m in the job market with a nearly worthless degree in the worst recession prior to 2008. An interesting combination of bill-paying activities was the result.
Eventually a less than part-time job was created for me at the local hospital as a Dietitian’s Assistant. It didn’t pay the bills but kept me headed in the right direction. To make up the rest I did private massage (I’m not trained as a massage therapist) for a man with Multiple Sclerosis. In exchange I was allowed to live in the pool bungalow at his house. It was fully equipped with a hide-away bed and a hot plate. Not an upgrade from college housing.
The next year I was accepted into an internship and quickly moved on. My old ceiling had become a new floor. Ironically I practiced dietetics for only 9 months and then moved on again.
That tough time in my life taught me that even the tough things were figure-out-able (thank you Marie Forlio), strengthened my resilience and resulted in many more ceilings becoming new floors. It was resilience that supported me in leaving the 20-year ‘life’ I had created in Seattle and move to Dallas. It was resilience that supported me in leaving my 30-year safe, secure corporate career to start my own coaching business.
The idea that tough times can bring out the best in us is nothing new. And it’s to be expected for new college graduates. And will continue through life when we view it not simply as bouncing back to our former level but bouncing BEYOND – using what we learn in the tough time to launch us through our old ceiling to land on a new floor – the next and expanded version of YOU.
Please share a time when you turned an old ceiling into a new floor and what inspired you to bounce back AND BEYOND?
I love the way you say that your career as a mother will be downsized. How graceful and compassionate. Would you be willing to post your comments on Facebook too? They are brilliant and would contribute to the community.
My life has been a transition of sorts over this past 10 years. I have moved 5 times and getting to move again at the end of the year. I have only lived in Texas for two years and then on to Florida. I feel I have learned to be open to new ideas and challenges. I would say I have met some wonderful people a long the way and have received many blessings. With my youngest child off to college in January my career as a mother is going to be down sized. Almost two years ago I was praying and asking God what my next chapter in life would be. I know that God has brought me to reach out to others and help them improve their health. He also gave me these skills with all of my moves. Moving around has definitely got me out in the community. When you move there are a lot of questions you ask when moving to a new community. I know that my old ceiling will be another new floor with the upcoming move.