Are you just surviving change or growing through it?

Last week, I hosted a magical session with my inner circle of executive coaching clients. Every quarter, I bring them together for a half-day session, during which we engage in deeper planning for the year ahead, reflect on progress, mastermind ideas together and incorporate some teaching. For the first time, I decided to invite a guest, Stacey Copas, whom I've known for several years. We initially met at the same speaking gig. As I watched Stacey from the front of the room, I was in awe of her ability to connect and engage I was particularly impressed by her energy and mindset and in the years that followed I’ve often quizzed her on how she cultivates such a powerful energy and sense of abundance. She is like Yoda to me; 7 X world surf champion Layne Beachley called her the ‘Queen of Resilience’ and she’s honestly one of the wisest women I know!

So, when she agreed to come and talk to this wonderful group of long-standing clients, I couldn’t think of a better person to be bringing into the room...?

What I've observed among many in the coaching room right now is that we're amidst significant change and challenge—whether it's redundancies, restructuring, role changes, or realignments. The only constant is change. I firmly believe that to keep growing and thriving in this environment, we must embrace change and manage our mindset and energy proactively if we are to become more resilient to change.?

If we don't do this, I see 3 things happening:??

1. We drop into reactive mode, fighting all the fires, we become stressed and anxious in how we are living and leading? ?
2. The monkey-mind kicks in, we start to focus on all the problems and things that could go wrong, it starts to become a self-fulfilling prophecy? ?
3. We get exhausted, tired and struggle to cope, those big hopes and dreams we had for the year become a distant memory?

So, if you are feeling like you have dropped into ‘reactive mode’ and you are in the endless hustle then I want to share some of the wisdom that Stacey shared with my executive clients. Also, keep reading for a special invitation to join me in one of the most critical practices I know for building a resilient mind and mindset.?

Here are 5 of Stacey’s gems on how to build your resilience;?

1. It’s not about reactively trying to do things when you are exhausted and in survival mode, she advocates for a proactive approach, emphasizing rituals and routines that support resilience.? ?
2. She believes resilience isn't just about enduring change but growing through it—choosing to see the potential and the possibility that comes from change vs just going through it ? ?
3. The language we tell ourselves can have a critical impact on our mindset and physical state. Positive language like ‘grateful’, ‘possibility’, ‘abundance’ can help us to see the potential vs language like ‘terrified’, ‘scary’, ‘fearful’ can closes us off and have us constricting in our bodies.? ?
4. Stacey introduced the practice of STOP when you notice you have dropped into negative thought patterns and instead use gratitude. By choosing our focus and narrative, we shape our reality.? ?
5. One of Stacey's key practices is journaling, which she believes builds resilience through ritual and reflection she has a great line to start journaling...”today I had the opportunity to...’.?

When I think about my own journey of growing through the ups and downs, of building a deeper sense of resilience and energy, I reflect on one of the critical practices that became a constant for me during a particularly challenging time in my life...If I can cast you back over a decade,?I realized that I wasn't happy or fulfilled in the career I had chosen. I understood that the way I was working would only lead to more burnout. I recognized the need to take significant time away to truly understand who I was, what would genuinely make me happy again, and most importantly, to tune out of my head and tune into myself. As Stacey says, sometimes we have to take a leap of faith. But in taking that leap, we can develop practices that support us through change and help us grow.?

For me, one of those critical practices was learning to meditate. While I had been practicing yoga for a couple of years and had maybe done 5 or 10 minutes of meditation here and there, I hadn't truly grasped the concept. Every time I attempted to meditate, my mind would race, and I would easily give up. So, when I made the decision to step away from my salaried job and into the unknown, I committed to learning to meditate. I recognized that I needed structure and a supportive community if I was going to crack this thing! I dove deep into the practice and decided to study mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR), an 8-week course led by the pioneer of mindfulness, Jon Kabat-Zinn. This course delved into the neuroscience behind mindfulness, teaching us about our brain's default mode network and how mindfulness retrains our attention to focus on the present moment. ?

You may have noticed that our minds often wander, dwelling on past events or worrying about the future, but mindfulness helps us bring our attention back to the present.?

During this course, I learned so much about my mind and steadily built a deeper meditation practice alongside a supportive cohort of fellow learners. While I won't delve into the specifics of MBSR, I want to emphasize the transformative power of mindfulness during times of challenge and change. ?

Your invitation to join me to meditate?

Inspired by Stacey and the conversations with many coaching clients that have said they have struggled to both start and maintain a meditation practice, I decided to launch a 21-day meditation challenge for my clients, drawing from the work of Deepak Chopra. This challenge, designed to meditate to his soothing guidance, focuses on themes of abundance mindset and recognizing potential in ourselves and the world around us. I initially hosted this challenge early in the COVID pandemic, and now, as I reflect on the wisdom shared by Stacey on building resilience, I'm excited to relaunch the meditation challenge for a new community. ?

So, if you have been curious to start meditating for a while or, have a regular practice and would like some fresh inspiration then now could be the time to come and join me an awesome bunch of people in this community. Here’s a little more information for those that would like to join...?

21-Day Meditation Challenge?

Having started my meditation practice over 10 years ago now, I have learned it's helpful to have structure and community around you.?

Meditation can improve focus, reduce stress, improve wellbeing, boost creativity and enhance decision-making abilities to name but a few things, making it an invaluable tool to add to your personal development, energy management and building resilience.?

Every evening you will receive a message for the following day with a recording. You will have 24 hours to complete. There is a theme for each day's meditation (that goes for around 15 minutes) with a short talk and meditation mantra. There will be a chance to share your experience and feel supported by the group. ?

We will be commencing after Easter on Tuesday, 2nd April.

No problems if you are on holiday, could be the perfect time to start, where-ever you are in the world you have 24 hours to complete each day. ?

If you would like to join, please just confirm via email ([email protected]) with title ‘meditation challenge’ and we'll add you to the WhatsApp group we will be creating.?

I really hope you have found today’s email helpful and inspiring, as always, I love to hear your feedback.?

Here’s to becoming even more resilient in 2024!?