Did you see the Lindsey Vonn commercial? It touched me to tears.
It’s the one where you see her, the most decorated ski racer in the world, learning to ski as a little girl, then it cuts to her being helicoptered off the slope after her devastating 2013 crash. The next frame shows her powering through the hardship of her rehabilitation to full recovery, and finally her racing again stronger than ever.
I get choked up, every time I see it, touched by her belief in herself that is apparent in her commitment to overcome such a traumatic event. She was facing a long, painful recovery not knowing if she would ever be able to ski again.
She credits her mom for her optimism, “My mom is really tough. I mean, she had a stroke when she gave birth to me. I’ve never once heard her complain about it. She always taught me, no matter what the situation, I can overcome it. My mom is optimistic no matter what, and I think some of that rubbed off on me,” Vonn shared in her Procter & Gamble’s “Thank You, Mom” campaign.
Sometimes that strategy is easier said than done when faced with health issues, rejection, adversity, fear or disappointments.
Yet, THIS is where YOUR GROWTH IS. There is less impetus to change or upgrade outdated patterns if everything is copacetic.
I am not saying you need to manifest a major accident to grow. In fact, the more aware you are, the less dramatic the upset may need to be to invite you to stop and think about what you want and how you want to change to support it. I now pray that my lessons come with as little suffering as possible. And, I try to listen to my body’s reactions including, pain, anxiety, fear, sickness, insomnia, etc. to see what my body is trying to tell me.
(See my blog on avoiding cold and the flu for an exercise on this : http://www.larariggio.com/4-tips-avoid-colds-flu-season)
- Why was my resistance down and I caught a cold?
- What can I learn from this twisted ankle?
- What is bothering me? Why am I anxious or can’t sleep?
All this goes for our country and our world too.
- I wonder, why the US is in this state with two very diverging opinions on so many issues?
- Why have there been so many hate crimes, like the shooting last week?
- Why has extremist thinking become such a driver in the world?
I don’t have the answers to these questions, but the one thing I know for sure is that you can only be responsible for your own emotions, thoughts, and actions.
And, you can be the change you want to see in the world.
The news comes on directly after the Olympics, and I have been marveling at the two juxtaposing energies, the unity and power of the human spirit exuded by the athletes and even the commercials during the coverage of the Olympics, and the fear-driven coverage and sensationalistic interviews on the nightly news.
And, this reminds me, we can use our power for greatness or evil.
We can act out of love or out of lack.
Click this video for an exercise to help you feel the power you possess to not only rise above your own disappointments but to see how you can make a difference and to easily be the change you wish to see in the world.
Much love and power!
PS: And, here is the link to the Lindsey Vonn Commercial …
