Resilience: The Power to Create a New Reality
And just like that, we are one month into 2020! While January is in our rearview mirrors you might still be thinking about your New Year’s resolutions. Or maybe you are not concerned with resolutions and goals, but instead are hoping this year will bring a break in the chaos of life. Whether we like it or not, life ebbs and flows with adversities. When you seem to be stuck in a constant flow of hard times, the good times are often overshadowed, leaving you feeling helpless and powerless.
What if you were told that you are unbreakable, would you believe it?
Well, believe it! With the proper perspective and attitude, you have the power to take on anything life throws your way. This power is called “resilience.” Resilience is defined by the Oxford dictionary as “the capacity to recover quickly from difficulties; toughness.” Writer Mary Holloway defines resilience a little differently - “Resilience is knowing that you are the one that has the power and the responsibility to pick yourself up.”
You are tough and have the power to create a new reality for yourself.
Heidi has harnessed the power of resilience and changed the direction of the lives of herself and her children. Was it easy? No, it was the hardest thing she has ever done in her life. Dealt one hard time after another, Heidi found a way to overcome. Her initial hit came early when her father died. Heartbroken and stressed, her mother turned to crystal meth for relief. Heidi was introduced to drugs at the tender age of eleven by her mother. A few years later, Heidi’s mother was incarcerated for selling drugs and Heidi was left to fend for herself. All alone, Heidi dropped out of school and found herself going down the same dangerous road of selling drugs. It was the only path she knew.
For nearly a decade, Heidi lived with drugs and addiction. She amassed a criminal record with twelve felonies and lost custody of her children. When Heidi hit rock bottom, she found the strength to seek help from the House of Hope and upon graduating the program for the second time, she found the Family Support Center’s LifeStart Village. From that moment, her life began to change. With the support of these community resources and her resilience, Heidi is still winning her battle with her addictions today. She has proudly been sober for over eight years, has regained custody of her children, has become a homeowner, and as of July of 2019, she is the Family Support Center’s LifeStart Village Director. It took time to forgive herself and others, like her mother; she realized her mother was only doing the best she could with the skills she had. Now Heidi is helping others utilize their own resilience.
Heidi’s life changed when she stopped being a victim of her circumstances. She changed her perspective and her attitude. She gave her adversities meaning by using them as stepping stones on her path to recovery. If you ask her today if her life is problem-free, she will surely say “No!” But Heidi knows that she has the power to create a new reality because she has done it before. Heidi also knows that resilience isn’t a solo journey. She had the strength and the power to seek help. She found help at the House of Hope, the Family Support Center, and from many others while she was creating her new reality (to hear Heidi’s whole story, please visit: http://www.loverecoveryrr.com/heidis-story-from-felonies-to-family/).
You have what it takes to create a new reality as Heidi has. Don’t sacrifice your future for today’s pain any longer. Give the trials that life hands you purpose and meaning by turning them into tools to help you turn your life around and find happiness.
You are resilient.
- Amanda, Family Support Center
