When life throws a punch...
how able are you to roll with it and off it?
When last we saw Ruby, she’d just learned how much fun it is to serve-help-give. And that was after having met a real life “bike god” who told her she should seriously pursue her dream of being paid to ride a bike.
It’s the end of a great day for Ruby….
It’s amazing how the unconscious part of our mind will take something that’s beyond our conscious ability to figure out, and do it for us.…..
Ruby decodes what her dream is telling her and acts on it….
Equally amazing is how when you want to learn, your perfect teachers will appear. Ruby is all ears….
So many lessons in just one quick interaction! Good thing Ruby writes everything down and can make sense of the mixed metaphors later…..
Lesson #1: You can’t run away from TRAFFIC
He’s talking about ADVERSITY.
difficulties; misfortune
“There’s no way around it” as we’re moving from where we are now in life to where we want to be, difficulties are going to crop up. They are a hard fact of life. They’re just “what you got to deal with to get from Point A to Point B”.
So best you get good at handling hardships….
Lesson #2: You got to ROLL WITH IT
He’s talking about ADAPTABILITY.
the quality of being able to adjust to new conditions
You may be much more of a planner than Ruby is, but even still… traffic.
And if you’re not able to “roll with it” — adapt — when “some dummy opens a door on you”, then you’re going to get mangled.
Being able to ‘roll with it’ doesn’t ONLY save you from severe injury or being killed, it also allows you to keep on keeping on… with ever increasing confidence… in your ability to trust that you can find a way to adjust and roll WITH it, whatever it is.
Which brings us to….
Lesson #3: Rolling off a punch is a BLESSING
He’s talking about RESILIENCE.
the ability to bounce back from difficult experiences
Being able to be RESILIENT is sooo good that the bike god considers having this capacity a blessing.
I do too. And I think that what raises something like being able to “roll off a punch and come back” to the level of ‘blessing’ is that not everyone can do it. Or is doing it. At least not to the same degree.
So if, for whatever reasons, you’re predisposed to bouncing right back? That’s a blessing. A form of protection. A gift.
Me? I’d consider myself only medium blessed in this regard. In the face of certain setbacks there’s no rolling, no bouncing. I just crumble and call it a day. But I know people who are champs at it.
Like my friend Deborah Kampmeier. I’ve been terrified just LISTENING to what she’s endured as a filmmaker over the years. But time and again, her ability to give the finger to her hardships and come at them afresh, it’s left me in awe. And I’ve seen how it adds up and pays off BIG in the long run.
Sure she’s talented AF, but I don’t think that was her winning ticket. Because there’s a lot of talent out there. As Ruth Gordon says….
“It’s not enough to have talent.
You must have a talent for having talent.”
Deborah’s ‘talent for having talent’ is her resilience. THAT is what’s given her such a big leg up. She’s able to do something not everyone else with talent is able to do. ROLL! …with it and off it… over and over and over again.
How about you?
Do you embrace “traffic” (adversity) or do you try to run away from it?
How able are you to “roll with it” (adapt) when things don’t go as intended?
When you ARE able to do it, do you experience your capacity to “come back from a punch” (be resilient) as the blessing that it is?
Let’s tap
Because when there’s something we want to get better at in life, we can. We’re so incredibly lucky to live in a time where the tools that make it easier to do so (like tapping) are out there and being shared freely.
So if you want to give yourself the inner-resources that make you naturally more resilient, this one’s for you.
Before we get to tapping, we’ll set ourselves up with an NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming) technique that’s great at helping your brain replace the old, unwanted response (folding) with the preferred response (rolling).
It’s called the Swish Pattern, and to do it you’ll need to find two memories to work with: a memory of being Resilient, and a memory of being Less-Than-Resilient. Don’t worry, I’ll guide you in finding them.
Then, after the Swish Pattern exercise (which is fun and can be applied to anything), we’ll tap to anchor in the changes.
Ready?
Audio: NLP “Swish Pattern” Exercise for Resilience
And NOW let’s anchor the incredible changes you just made with some tapping!
Tapping Script: Anchoring Resilience & Projecting it into the Future
Start by calling on your Resilient memory. Once you’ve got it in mind, begin tapping…. with feeling!
This strong, capable version of me is real.
It may not be easy, but I can come back from a punch
That’s who I am.
My body remembers this strength.
My heart celebrates this strength.
My whole system is aligning with it now.
I’m letting it expand in me now.I can bring it forward any time I choose.
I can always call on my Resilient memory.
Just by saying its name, I anchor it more deeply.
I wire in Resilience as my new normal.
My nervous system knows what to do.
Resilience rises up in me automatically.
I feel it growing stronger.
This is who I am.
Resilient.
It’s who I’ve always been.
So resilient.
And it’s who I bring into my future.
So remarkably resilient.
Stop tapping, hold wrist, inhale as you squeeze it, exhale, still holding the wrist, close eyes and picture yourself tomorrow, in a situation that might have triggered the old pattern of stepping out of your power — but NOW see, hear, and feel yourself automatically responding with confidence and ease. And within that future moment, notice how natural the new response feels, as if it’s already a part of who you are… Find the best part about it and make it stronger.
Inhale, exhale, release wrist and begin tapping again…
As I imagine that future challenge…
how the old me would have hesitated…
now it’s Resilience that shows up first!
I see myself stepping forward with confidence.
I feel grounded, steady, clear.
I notice how naturally resilience is there.
Others respond to my self-assured strength.
I’m anchoring this future reality now.
I embody resilience.
I live resilience.
I am resilience.
And it’s who I bring into every new moment.
Stop taping, place your hands over your heart… and smile. Feel the shift. Know it’s yours. You get to keep it. You keep it by practicing it. This feeling can be practiced.
Thanks for tapping along! Join us next time when Ruby gets hired to pick up and deliver important documents all over Deep City!
