Survivors are thrivers, warriors, and peace makers who empower themselves to meet their needs. Going beyond Surviving trauma and crossing over into Thriving, they tap into understanding, leveraging adversity with resilience, grit, and grace.
And, we learned this power play at an early age through “adverse experiences.” Even if we were unaware of the process, we were unlocking our reservoirs of strength and leaning into what would later support our survival.
Some people believe a survivor with tenacity is born with the level of resilience, grit, and grace we demonstrate through Thriving; especially those like myself who embrace living Deliberately UnBound.
Myths aside, we aren’t born with any of this; it’s born from adversity and cultivated with determination and will, or what I know as Impeccability (best use of energy).
However, though these power conceptions are closely related, they are not synonymous. Grit is a mindset that showcases our perseverance and passion when we have needs to be met. Resilience is the ability to face adversity with a mindset that hosts Awareness, Deliberateness, Intent, Confidence, Commitment, and more.
There’s more. Combined, resilience, grit, and grace lead many Survivors to that hungry, power driven urge to Thrive, to do what we need to do to meet our needs without judgment, acting Impeccably, and trusting the outcome. Thriving is acting with Intent to be in alignment with our beliefs, operating with Awareness, Discernment, and Understanding.
So, contrary to the notion that trauma leaves survivors broken, many of us will take on the transformative journey of inner healing. We stand with courage as we face further adverse experiences while Unbinding old habits and beliefs, unlearning, “I can’t”, then acknowledging and accepting “I am.”
From the moment I chose life over sudden death by my hand, I also made the conscious choice to stop avoiding my story. In time I discovered for myself that adversity can lead to post-traumatic growth when force-of-circumstance places us face to face with meeting our needs for survival. It’s in that moment we realize we had the courage to persevere and open to new perspectives all along. It’s then we understand how and what we must do to empower ourselves and meet our needs.
“Without application it’s all meaningless.”
Regaining a sense of empowerment and agency is fundamental to development of resilience and grit. I can have all the knowledge of what I need to do and how to meet my needs, but without acting on what I know I must do I will be trapped in the infinite loop of the poverty of powerlessness.
Cultivating resilience, grit, and grace involves a multifaceted approach, from self-compassion and problem-solving to strategic thinking and healthy coping mechanisms. Embracing vulnerability and self-belief, along with fostering change and adaptability, empowers us to regain agency over our lives. By taking these steps, we not only rebuild ourselves but also lay the foundation for healing, ultimately proving the boundless capacity and Moreness of the UnBound Impeccabile human spirit.
Here’s to UnBound Living.her
Sher