What Does It Mean to Be Resilient When Life Changes?
Happy Front-Row Friday from Paris!
Being here is especially meaningful to me because in about 11 days, it will be two years since the passing of my Frenchie. Coming back to Paris without him is bittersweet. There are memories everywhere, and I’m incredibly grateful for them.
But being here has also reminded me of something important:
Life goes on. The world keeps turning. And new adventures await.
Sometimes life takes us in a direction we never expected. We can make plans, set goals, envision our future, and then something happens that changes the path completely.
That’s when resilience becomes more than a motivational word. It becomes something we live.
Resilience Does Not Mean Forgetting
What does resilience really mean after experiencing a significant loss or life change?
Resilience doesn’t mean pretending something didn’t happen. It doesn’t mean forgetting someone you loved, minimizing the difficult chapters, or rushing yourself to “get over it.”
Sometimes resilience simply means being grateful for the memories you’ve made while giving yourself permission to make new ones.
That’s where I find myself today. I am incredibly grateful for the new relationships I am forming back home. But while I’m here, I have great memories. I can feel the bittersweetness of being here in Paris without Frenchie. And at the same time, I can appreciate where I am today and stay open to the experiences that are still ahead of me.
Those things can exist at the same time. We can honor the past without living there.
Moving Forward Does Not Mean Leaving the Past Behind
There’s an important difference between moving on and moving forward.
Moving forward doesn’t require us to erase the past. The people we’ve loved, the experiences we’ve had, and even the difficult chapters of our lives become part of who we are.
But our story continues.
New people can enter our lives. New opportunities can appear. We can travel to new places, have new experiences, laugh again, dream again, and create new memories. For all of that I am so very happy!
Being resilient means allowing ourselves to believe there can still be something wonderful around the corner, even when life looks very different from what we once imagined. And, take it from me, love and joy can return and it can be awesome.
Enjoy the Seat You’re Sitting In
If you’ve followed me for any length of time, you know I talk a lot about living life from the Front-Row.
But living in the Front-Row doesn’t mean everything goes according to plan.
Sometimes you find yourself sitting in a seat you never expected to occupy.
Your career changes. A relationship changes. Your family changes. A dream takes longer than you thought. You experience a loss. Or life simply takes a turn you couldn’t have predicted.
When that happens, we have a choice.
We can spend all of our energy wishing we were sitting somewhere else, or we can look around and ask:
What is still good about where I am right now?
What can I be grateful for?
What can I learn?
What can I experience?
And perhaps most importantly:
What new adventure might be waiting for me?
How Can You Build Resilience During Unexpected Life Changes?
Resilience often starts with accepting that the path has changed without assuming that means the best parts of life are behind you.
You can honor what was while remaining curious about what could be. You can appreciate your memories while creating new ones. You can acknowledge sadness without closing yourself off from joy.
And you can stop requiring the future to look like the past in order for it to be good.
That last one matters.
Sometimes the next chapter isn’t a replacement for the chapter that came before it. It’s simply a new chapter.
Your Front-Row Challenge
So this week, I want you to think about where you’re sitting in your own life.
Maybe everything is going beautifully. Enjoy it. Don’t rush through it because you’re already focused on the next goal.
But maybe you’re sitting somewhere you never expected to be.
If that’s you, remember this:
Be strong. Be resilient. Stay open to adventure. Because you never know what positive thing might be waiting right around the corner.
You don’t have to forget yesterday to embrace tomorrow.
You can be grateful for the memories you have while opening yourself up to the memories you haven’t made yet.
And sometimes, that’s exactly what living life from the Front-Row looks like.
Watch this week’s Front-Row Friday from Paris and join me as I share this very personal reminder about resilience, gratitude, and staying open to what life has in store for us next.
Marilyn Sherman is a Hall of Fame keynote speaker, author, and creator of Front-Row Success, inspiring people and organizations to stop settling for balcony seats and live and lead from the Front-Row.
