Daily we are growing in understanding how to best navigate what we face as we determine how to emerge from our pandemic encounter. It is up to you and you alone to find your space, determine your level of comfortability, and walk into your new life. As we learn to lean and depend on others while learning to rely on ourselves, we grow by leaps and bounds. The goal is not to find this challenge overwhelming! When we do, we become paralyzed by fear and the unfamiliar. As we move forward in 2022, a little bit of angst gives us flashbacks of the uncertainty that plagued the start of 2020. Let me encourage you amid your near panic attack to hold on to your faith or clutch your pearls, or swing for the fences. Whatever you do, don’t give up; recalibrate!
Recalibrating is the first best step.
- to change the way you do or think about something: In a sentence, “You need to recalibrate your expectations.”
A pillar, if you will, to the foundation you are building to sustain you in even greater times of uncertainty along your journey is erecting the pillar called recalibration. Even if you are a fair-weathered and fickle person, you live by some truth that gets you through each day of your life. We use our ability to recalibrate and our past track record to comfort and guide us when making tough decisions. When we have an unexpected diagnosis, face the loss of a loved one, or face a negative past. When you face your fears, and when you face the truth about yourself. When you one day take a good look in the mirror, and the life you have lived resonates as experiences that shape who you are today. I want to present an opportunity to learn to recalibrate yourself. In life, it sometimes comes down to the simplest of actions. You recognize you can’t control your environment, but you can control how you respond to it. And, as you begin to address those things that need handling, take these observations with you into your decision-making:
- Recognize you don’t have to make the decision-all at once.
You see, a large part of moving forward is dissecting it piece by piece so that you are sure to cover all the angles.
- Get a hold of yourself before allowing your life as a believer to become a contradiction!
Sadly, many people never seek God to find out whether something even warrants our time and attention.
- Expect triggers
Memories, encounters, and prior experiences all fill your brain.
- Expect the unexpected
When we operate by faith, peace and calm envelop us, allowing for the best possible outcome.
There are times, however, when moving forward paralyzes us. We begin to over-analyze our past failures and destroy any remnant of hope for a future. Failure is a part of life, but it doesn’t have to dictate the reality of every aspect of your life. Recalibrating allows you to manage your expectations of yourself and those around you. It lifts the load of worry, lessens the stress of your burden, and opens you to clarified thinking. Recalibrating gives you an improved sense of direction and purpose. It postures you to seek different ways to balance the components of making smart decisions that shape the road ahead. Therefore, any uneasy feelings you have about your present and future success can be erased. You erase your feelings of fear with a vision of yourself being successful, conquering your problems, and pushing your way through rather than falling victim to the weight of doubt. It is time to accept that pursuing your passion and purpose will drown out the cries of your inner child who fears the unknown. It is time to look in the mirror and say, ‘Self…this is your life, now go out and live it!’
Jacquie Hood Martin, PhD
NCU Alumna