Tony Robbins' new series, Breakthrough: The Power of Crisis, launched this week here on the Living page, is taking on one of the most important issues of our time: How can we be empowered by crisis rather than impaled by it? How can we use adversity as a mechanism for personal growth?
This is certainly not a new question. In fact, it's essentially the human condition. Life really doesn't care if we like what it brings or if we're ready. Life is impersonal that way. Life "happens" and we are faced with choices about how we're going to deal with it. Will we be a victim of circumstances or will we use them instead to grow and become victorious?
In my own offerings here, I've been exploring this same topic, but in a slightly different context: How can we transform the fear-based consciousness of scarcity, which has so many people in its grip today, and live in the consciousness of abundance?
Recall, our definition of abundance is not about greed or excess. Abundance in the context of these lean times is about sufficiency, living in the flow of "enough." In the face of hardship, how does one overcome conditions of scarcity and create conditions of "enough?"
As Tony affirms, "It all starts with each individual's inner strength and resilience." So the question becomes: How does one shore up their inner strength when life has beaten them down? What do you do when the only thing in abundance in your life is scarcity?
Here's an email I received from a reader of last week's post, "Five Keys to a 'New' Abundance for Lean Times," that gets to the heart of the issue:
Thank you for that wonderful article: 5 Keys to Abundance. The words were well written and thoughtful and it certainly makes a lot of sense.
These types of articles are great but there is always one small problem. The landlord won't take the article or words as payment. Also the car companies, gas and electric companies and super market will not take them as well. You get the point. Life will not wait for us to get better and learn to adapt these words and move forward.Perhaps if the world was more compassionate it would work, say for instance tell all of your creditors that you need three to four months to get well and they accept that. Yes I am cynical but I am also the average hardworking, family-loving person who is ready to throw it all away. Not because of what I don't have but because I can no longer support my family in ANY WAY.
The effort is great on the writer's part and it will probably help some of the people get through a couple of extra days perhaps weeks but is not a solution. I myself don't know the solution and try and figure it out every minute of every day.
When you love your family and they love you back and everyone is pulling hard together it certainly brings you closer together and you do learn a lot about your self but this for many people is not enough; they just can't survive financially or emotionally and the result is what you see in the news every day and often. --Jeffrey F.
Jeffrey has voiced a legitimate concern that hits to the core of what many people are facing in today's economic crisis. How do you pay the rent or buy groceries with "good ideas?"
All this abundance philosophy sounds good on paper, but when the resources are all dried up and the rent is due, then what? It might sound and feel good for a nanosecond, but when the rubber meets the road, the rent is still due and the kids are hungry. Let's get real.
Seriously! Let's do get real. Jeff feels he no longer can support his family "in any way," and is "ready to throw it all away." So let's examine Jeff's situation more closely because his circumstances and his despair echo what can be heard across the land in many people's lives today.
Let's look at how Jeff sees his situation: Given what's so, Jeff feels he can no longer support his family in any way. To this I ask: "Is this true?"
Jeff tells us he loves his family and they love him back and they're pulling closer together through this experience. I know love won't pay the rent, but notice, the family is pulling together. They could be moving apart, but they're not. I'm not sure if Jeff truly gets what a valuable resource this is.
There is something here that money can't buy. So while love, alone, doesn't pay the rent or make the car payments, within this circle of love and connection called "family," or even friendship resources, there is a fountain of possibilities waiting to be loved into form. And that form might very well turn out to be what pays the rent and puts food on the table.
There is a sacred bond, a deeper connection, that manifests when people come through hard times with the love and support of family and/or friends. It comes into being when people dig deep to find within themselves the strength and courage they didn't know they had, the commitment to their future, the legacy they leave behind for those who follow, and their commitment to stand for themselves and each other to realize and live into their greatest potential.
Talk to men and women who have been in military combat together -- people who have stared death in the face together and come back to tell about it. Talk to people who have been through the catastrophic illness of a family member together. Talk to those who've sat at the bedsides of their dying loved ones together. What will you discover? There is an unspoken, sacred bond felt by those who confront life's biggest challenges and who learn and grow from them together.
Do not sell this sacred bond short. In the department of valuable resources, this one is right at the top of the list. It's intangible, yes, but if asked to choose which is more valuable, the love and support of family or money to pay the rent, what would you choose?
There will be people who, in the identical circumstances as Jeffrey, with all the same complexities, fears and misgivings, will turn their circumstances into a turning point in their lives. They will take this same hand and play it, not from being ready to throw it all away, but from stepping into the void that is already there, choosing it (it already is), and summoning from their deepest and highest selves, their powerful intention to move forward.
People who prevail and get to the other side of hard times do so because they discover a part of themselves they didn't know they had. In so doing, they realize that it was only under the pressure of what felt like no choice, they in fact chose the hand they were dealt and used that exact same hand to get bigger. They were victorious in the face of what looked like being dealt a losing hand.
Those people will look back on this time and see this was when they chose to live as a conscious act, an act of volition. And then they set sail toward creating the rest of their life. Why couldn't this scenario be yours?
Likewise, there will be people who, dealt this same hand of cards, will respond by feeling empty, passionless and drained dry of life. Like Jeff, they've lost access to their inner resources and in the face of hardship are ready to "throw it all away."
Which response do you think is going to produce breakthroughs, and even success? Which is going to empower someone to press on, dig deep and come out winning?
Do you have a choice in the matter? Thinking you have no choice is a choice itself. Which choice is more empowering? Which one opens possibilities?
Surely in the face of "throwing it all away," giving up, resigning, the doors to possibility are closed. The mind has decided there is no way forward and thus, it comes about. There is no way forward.
We literally speak and think our reality into being. If the mind says, "This is it. I'm done. I have nothing left. There is no way forward," this thought takes form and creates itself on the material plane. Thoughts become things.
Abundance begins when you choose exactly what you have, not as in resignation or "settling," but as a place from which to begin. If you're in resistance to what already is, you are not in the present, where the only opportunity to change things resides.
Resistance is a form of denial that has you locked into a belief that "this shouldn't be happening" and thus, you're stuck right where you are. All the resistance in the world will not change your current reality. You must stop resisting and choose what you have. Only then, are you available to take committed actions that will begin to turn things around and thus, transform your life.
I sense that Jeffrey has not completely resigned yet. He has reached out and this is good. If he'd truly given up, he wouldn't have taken the time to write with his question. He is still in the game, but on his way to the bleachers, while looking over his shoulder to ask one more time, "Is there another way other than giving up?"
Which to Jeff I say, "Yes! Yes!" For sure you're going to lose if you retire to the bleachers and sit out the rest of the game. If you throw it all away, you're not even going to give yourself a chance. So what if you've given yourself 1,000 chances? How do you know your chance is not at 1,001 or even 1,002 or beyond? How many times did Edison fail at the light bulb? 10,000? How do you know it's time to quit? What if the game is just getting started?
And as for the rent, what if love and courage can pay it? What if self-love and courage are the missing ingredients that would have Jeffrey know he's capable of winning, even if the score doesn't look good? I'm reminded of a young man named Nick Vujicic, who was born with no arms and no legs. Nick is a winner. If you want to know what resilience and courage look like watch this. It's worth 4:11 seconds of your time.
WATCH:
We have the hand we're dealt. It seems unfair that some people should be dealt all aces and then there's Nick Vujicic, who chose what he has and wrote his own rules about what it means to be dealt a life with no arms and no legs and we're all richer for it.
Choose the cards you're dealt, the ones you like and the ones you don't, and play them full-on, play them with everything you've got for as long as it takes, for your very life might well depend on it. In a very real way, it does. For sure if you throw in the cards, you lose.
Jeff, I hope you still have your uniform on and are headed back towards the field. The team is missing a player without you in the game.
And to anyone who can identify with Jeffrey, to those who question if it's worth it, to those who wonder if they matter, to those who don't see a way out, please remember this: the human team is incomplete without you on it. You came to play out your life and there's no one else who can "do you". There's something you came to do, someone you came to be, something you came to learn and contribute.
You are essential to the story of humanity. If you don't contribute your unique piece, the human story is incomplete. So if abundance is scarce or if scarcity is abundant, go for it anyway. Your current circumstances are precisely what you have, so choose them and then get busy creating from there.
I'd love to hear from you about how you're being resourceful in dealing with scarcity or other challenges at this time. Please leave a comment below and/or come pay a visit to my personal blog and website: Rx For The Soul, where I'll be blogging on this on a regular basis.
And hey, we're all in this together, so let's Become Fans and hold hands while we traverse the peaks and valleys together. You can contact me personally at judith@judithrich.com.
Abundant blessings, wherever your path leads you.
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I found this question on a blog last year and I so wish I could give the man credit for it but the link was lost when my Notepad crashed. He used it to get rid of physical clutter but I used it for emotional or physical - "Does this item represent where I’m going or where I’ve been?"
When you're squeezed like a lemon, you're forced to get creative & take stock. I have learnt that we can all live with much less & we find the means to buy the lemon, make lemonade and find other uses for the rind and pulp too. That is what I got from the question.
You grow strength through adversity. So Jeff and family are definitely going to make it and they will look back in the near future and marvel not only at what they lived through but HOW they did it. I love success stories in the making!
Pulling together is what we're here to do, so a big hug to Jeff and all the other Jeff's and Janet's out there. We're all definitely with you & are keeping the flame of hope alive in our hearts for
Jeff actually wrote to tell me how moved he was to read the article and receive people's support. He said it has helped to change his thinking and made a difference in his live.
Again, we just never know....... keep those expressions of love and caring coming!
Choose the cards you're dealt - yes I decided again yesterday with renewed determination to do exactly when I understood from my sudden angst that I'd fallen into resistance mode again. That was a relief and a release.
Sacred bond - this made me realise that it's inexistent in my family. I was the "mother" since I was 12 and when I gratefully left that house at 21 they all fell apart (my birth mother included) & it's only from observation since my return that I understood that something was fatally wrong, and your article about a family's sacred bond, helping each other and pulling together is non-existent. I'm the one who did it all for every single person. Isn't that sad but it's good to understand though.
Superb article my dear Judith
Thank
Such an interesting dream! Seems pretty clear who was the victor in that race.
And as for the non-existant sacred bond in your family, consider that you were it. You breathed it into being with your love and devotion as the traditional structure collapsed. You could hold it as sad, and of course, there's that for sure. But maybe that's exactly the medicine your soul ordered to have you complete something in your own life story you needed to complete and heal. Who knows how this all works? I've always said the soul works in mysterious ways.
I so appreciate your presence here each time. Thank you!
Many blessings,
Judith
Internet is now working once more hence my late reply. Yes, I realise that I was the bond in the family which is probably my brother - the last child - says I'm his mother... no getting that forty-something year old to change his thinking no matter how I've tried!
And you're correct of course, I''m in the closing phase now since my return 6 months ago of what began when I was 12. Emotional parting really is sweet sorrow and thank goodness that cycle is ending!
Catherine
Abundance being a subjective term seems to be the greatest misnomer of our generation. When I peel myself down to my bones, I realize that I need very little to be happy. I pray for the health for everyone I love (me, too) knowing that when I am at my best, I can do seva, selfless service. I wish for enough that I can move forward in the world but not so much that it is a burden.
There is an inner peace when become clear. I have begun a great purge in my life, eliminating excess material items, selling things that bear weight in some circles but felt like they were emcumbering. It was liberating to toss away certain items- jewelry, furniture, Grandmother's silver, that was never used because it was too precious. Getting down to basics has been like catching that second wind on a long upward trek, where the heavens seem closer.
I loved your offering this week- and look forward to exploring this subject with your guidance and other's posters insights. As I write, it is dawn, and the night is lifting. The first birdsong of the day is filling the air. No scarcity here!
I'm so pleased to see you back here! I love what you say about the "great purge": "Getting down to basics has been like catching that second wind on a long upward trek, where the heavens seem closer." Ain't that the truth?
Please come back and share more of your exquisite insights. You're a blessing!
Abundant blessings to you,
Judith
How true! If we're never "tested", we'll never know how far or how deep we can go. However, we want to have a say in which tests we're given. Life doesn't work that way. When we sign up, we're given a pass that says "admit one", that's it. No guarantees of what kind of ride it will be. And then there's Nick Vujicic who makes it a joyful ride no matter what kind of pass he's been given. What a powerful teacher and teaching for the rest of us!
May it be a joyful ride, dear sister, no matter what!
Love,
Judith
I think our culture today as built a mindset or conditioning that we are only as good as what we have, and fear drives our primary thoughts and emotions. 5 years ago everyone was re-doing their bathrooms in granite just for the fun of it, and today the reality of only have 3 months of savings is more the norm. We also were shouded in a climate of fear that has left so many American's shell shocked. After 9/11 we were told to "go shopping" - clearly not the right message! I look forward to the coming "breakthrough" our culture is experiencing of learning to live in our means, not to put value on things outside of ourselves, and being content with less. It is a hard lesson for everyone, and I agree those who are in dire straits cannot take this as some sort of intellectual exercise- but of life and death. Thank you for bringing your own slant to the subject!
you ask:
I'd love to hear from you about how you're being resourceful in dealing with scarcity or other challenges at this time. - This is a time to be mindful and respectful of what is happening in and around us. We meditate and live simply.
Blessings- Ed
You are living the life that is required of all of us. To live simply, and aligned with our highest values. It doesn't get more abundant than that! You live and give from a full cup, this is clear.
Thanks for spilling your love this way. Right back at you,
Judith
seeing the human story from such an insightful perspective, one that is so spiritual, practical and needed is just gobsmacking. i hadn't thought b4 about the story not being complete, i could see that for others, but wasn't willing to afford myself the same courtesy. i was too much of a snob to be seen as unseemly and arrogant. i found this quiet liberating!
i have to go wake my husband up so he can read this.
thanks for the confessional booth ;)
as always many bows!
pema
You put a smile on my face! Your comment is rich!
I don't know where I've been all my life but "gobsmacking" is a new word for me. I love it and it's so onomatopoeic!
Yes my dear, you get to be included in the completion of the story. And by the way, please be sure to read Arjuna Ardagh's stunning article Why It Is Wise To Worship A Woman: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/arjuna-ardagh/goddess-worship_b_660896.html. Should be required reading for all men so pass it on to your husband. It's worth waking him up for as well.
Thanks so much for waking him up (and having him read my post too!)
Bows to you sweet one,
Judith
Nice thoughts!
For me, adversity and failure are similar: your progress is blocked or retarded, and expectations have not been met. The answer, the solution, or the approach to a reversal of fortune is always the same. How you see it, what you believe, and what you do about it - perspective, attitude and action.
The negatives of adversity/failure are generally obvious, and initially at center stage. However, the right attitude and perspective are powerful tools, which reveal not only the opportunity to, but also demand that you view the positives. Thereby, you will realize they do exist, can override (not displace) the negatives, and serve as a foundation for change and growth toward your purpose and its effect on your life and the lives of others.
The choice is between doing and not doing, seeing and not seeing, living a full abundant life, or living a regretful and fearful one… driving the car of being dragged behind.
No words adequately express my reaction to the Nick Vujicic video. The ailments, personal issues, and trips and falls in the daily lives of most people are trivial potholes when compared to his crater of circumstance. The sum of his perspective, attitude, and action is off the chart. Imagine if only a fraction of his capacity for acceptance and growth was adopted by us all…. He is now my example of someone “…living in the flow of "enough."
Thanks for sharing with a truly touched fan,
Lawson of DaMoKi
It's so nice to see you back here! I so appreciate and enjoy your comments. You bring a rich understanding to our discussions. I'm glad you enjoyed the video. I showed it to a church group last week and people are still talking about it. it completely changes one's perspective about their own complaints in life.
So true, let Nick V. infect the rest of us with a fraction of his belief in himself and sense of what truly matters.
All the best to you dear Lawson of DaMoki
In our time, this time, we need to ask for more than personal evolution. We need to ask, "How can we empower ourselves and others to use crisis and adversity for political evolution?" We need personal evolution that drives political evolution, and that inspires political action.
People have suffered personal catastrophe from some disease, or drunken driver, rapist, kidnapper, or gunman... and used that to start political organizations to prevent further harm, or to help survivors. We can do the same with social catastrophes (ignorance, black box voting, overpopulation, environmental degradation, malnutrition, epidemics, kleptocracy, plutonomy, aquifer depletion, global warming, peak oil, overpopulation, etc.) and political action.
Personal evolution remains critical. We've lived through a decade of escalating disasters (economic, ecological, educational, military, etc.). If history were not enough, surely this teaches us the consequences of political action without personal evolution. Political action without personal evolution is horrific; personal evolution without political action is sterile.
"Political action without personal evolution is horrific; personal evolution without political action is sterile." I'm not sure about the word "sterile" in this sentence, unless you mean "impotent".
In other words, take some kind of committed action out of your evolution. It may or may not be "political". It might social or spiritual. Doesn't have to be political in my book. But I definitely agree, action is required.
These days, I specify political action, because I expect any effective "social or spiritual" action to get politicized. This has happened even to science (global warming, etc.) and even to basic science (Darwinian evolution).
Most times, scarcity periods actually boosts creativity on survival modes that we may not have thought of before, and that we can still live despite some level of lack. Jeffrey, even though not out of the woods yet, is demonstrating the ability to survive which few people have and is coping with his family through love shared - an important factor in coping with any crisis.
I think we're looking at the same elephant, but seeing different parts of it. It's a big elephant. There's room for many points of view and all of them are right.
I think Yinka meant he agreed "more" rather than "less"... If so, in this case, as in many others you have referenced... Less is More.
Lawson
Yes, very much so. And to say that this fact about the human condition cannot be betrayed or exploited or 'sold short' is to say that the experience of friends and family ties in times of utmost stress is sacred. It can restore self-reliance without a loss of future prospects. And it can do that with little or no resources. To not know that or to try to exploit the fact is to cease to be human. But if you're in need, then you do know it. So the only way to cease to be human is the complacency of those who think that they can exploit the mechanism. It's impossible unless you're willing to incur terrible costs. The costs of alienation, that is. And those can be irreversible.
This morning I was walking along the Bay shoreline and drinking in the moment and realized just how magnificent life is, right here, this second. We're surrounded by beauty and many treasures, some tangible, some not. Most people have no idea how many resources they actually have. We need only open our eyes to see what's there. This human gig is amazing!
And so are you......
Blessings,
Judith
Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.
In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.
Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds and shall find me unafraid
It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.
It reminds me of my meditation this morning in which I realized, yet again, how very precious life is and how very amazing this human journey is and our time here is so short. No matter what life bring:,
It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.
We are the captains of our souls and our job is to take the wheel and steer our lives.
I so appreciate your sharing here!
Blessings,
Judith
Great poem; great message: Invictus, which means undefeated or unconquerable.
It was written in the hospital in response to the amputation you mentioned, and was untitled (gained one only when included in the Oxford Book of English Verse, in 1900). It is truly a reflection of one's re-setting to reality and building on that base. Henley lead a full life for 28 more years.
Nice comment, I'm a fan!
Lawson
In a world of, get all you can and can all you get, it’s time we serve others. We can begin by simply asking the person next to us, How can I help or serve you ?
That video certainly bears another showing. I think we will be seeing in the Breakthrough The Power of Crisis initiative some amazing stories of people who have overcome the odds.
Crisis in Chinese means both danger and opportunity. The power of love in each one of us is extraordinary. The power of expressing our love can truly turn us from victim into victor.
When the family becomes a team and each player chooses to contribute towards the victory, then truly amazing things happen. Years later, looking back, these could be some of the most enriching and rewarding times of our lives.
I am with you on this one, dearest Judith. Thank you for affirming the choices and possibilities we all have.
With much love,
Anne
What a joy it is to share this community with you each week! It does feel like a family and the love and support we all share here is very affirming. Thank you for sharing the journey.
Abundant blessings your way,
Judith
So much richness in your comment. Let me chew on this for awhile.....
Many blessings to you,
Judith