Excerpt from “Challenger Deep” and “This is Good: A Journey on Overcoming Adversity.
Have you ever noticed after a hurricane or intense storm the number of trees blown down by the storm, but it seems that few palm trees get knocked down? Why?
Even though oak trees are known for being strong and sturdy and having deep roots, they are not flexible and cannot adapt as easily to the pressures from the wind. Oak trees are often uprooted by high winds and rain. After too much resistance they fall.
Palm trees are slender and easily sway in the slightest wind. Yet, they have a deep root system that allows them to literally bounce back. They are structured to bend but not break. Also, during the pressure of resisting the wind, the heavy rain nourishes and deepens the roots of the Palm – preparing them to be even stronger for the next storm.
So, what can we learn from the Palm tree? Flexibility is essential to be able to weather anything thrown our way and we need challenges that deepen our roots and strengthen us for future challenges.
We can’t control the storms that we face in life, but we can control how we respond to them. Will you stand strong until the wind beats you down or will you take the punches, bounce back and come out stronger? Be a Palm tree.
Exercise: 1. Before you start your next season or project, what baggage do you have that you are still holding on to? 2. What will you do to ensure that you become a palm tree?
“For last year’s words belong to last year’s language. And next year’s words await another voice. And to make an end is to make a beginning.” -T.S. Eliot
For more information on overcoming adversity, check out, “Challenger Deep: Stories, Fables, and Lessons to Help You Rise Above Adversity” at: https://www.amazon.com/Challenger-Deep-Stories-Fables-Adversity/dp/B09MYVSLMR and “This is Good” at: https://r2lc.com/this-is-good-a-journey-on-overcoming-confidence.
Tami Matheny is owner of Refuse2LoseCoaching. She is a Mental Game Coach and Author. Her books include: “This is Good” at: https://r2lc.com/this-is-good-a-journey-on-overcoming-confidence, “The Confident Athlete: 4 Easy Steps to Build and Maintain Confidence” https://r2lc.com/the-confident-athlete-4-easy-steps-to-build-and-maintain-confidence/, “Challenger Deep: Stories, Fables, and Lessons to Help You Rise Above Adversity” https://www.amazon.com/Challenger-Deep-Stories-Fables-Adversity/dp/B09MYVSLMR and “The Confidence Journal”. All books can be purchased online at Amazon. For group discounts or signed copies contact http://tami@r2l.mysites.io.
For more information on mental training contact tami@r2l.mysites.io, follow us on twitter @tamimatheny and @r2lcoaching and visit our website: https://r2lc.com.
For daily confidence tips, sign up for the monthly confidence calendar: https://r2lc.com/monthly-confidence-calendar-newsletter/.
On Facebook join the groups: The Confident Athlete: https://bit.ly/3yV1VuV, This is Good: https://bit.ly/3yUKH0T, Parents and the Mental Game: https://bit.ly/3AQmcCI