Life is hard… whether it is in business, as a parent, partner, friend or human, we are constantly tested, both physically and mentally.
One of the biggest tests we will likely experience at some point is that of grief. Very rarely, someone is a stranger to grief during their lifetime, whether that is the loss of a person, pet, job, lifestyle or opportunity. Grief surrounds us, and unless you embrace it and welcome it into your life, it can overwhelm and disrupt your life and health.
I am no stranger to grief… it has been a part of my life since childhood. My father died of cancer when I was 16 years old, my brother died in 2014 after years of mental ill health, and in 2018, my darling husband Simon died after a short illness of a Germ Cell Tumour.
Simon and I were not just life partners and parents but business partners too, so when he died, everything was fragile and had the potential to erupt around me. But I was determined to make everything we worked together on succeed and flourish.
I had previously experienced several years of depression and anxiety, and my recovery was founded on strengthening my mindset and emotional fitness, but Simon’s death and navigating more grief would be an ultimate test of my resilience and emotional fitness. However, from the heartbreak and loss ultimately came flourishing and success… and my biggest success has been not just my own flourishing but my continued learning and sharing to help and support other people to perform and become emotionally fitter to protect their mental health.
Simon’s influence and inspiration motivate me daily, and what his death made me realise was I was far stronger mentally than I had previously given myself credit for. This was down to consistent protective action to build my resilience and create my own happiness – no-one is going to do that for you; it’s our individual responsibility. I developed my own brand of positivity; not the toxic type where everything is going to be OK – it’s not; life tests us constantly – but the meaning of positivity being I will be OK regardless of what happens, and based on my philosophy of The Three Ps: Possibility, Productivity and Performance, I believe we can all flourish and be resilient regardless of what is thrown at us. This mindset allows us to perform, and for me, that’s given me the strength to share my story through writing and speaking and working as an award-winning mindset coach.
Everything I do is founded in my three core values of kindness, freedom and growth, and when you combine your values with doing the consistent daily work to be more resilient and emotionally fitter, you start to not just succeed but feel real satisfaction in your life. You become the best version of yourself, and then, even when faced with the most difficult of situations, you can and will flourish too.
