January 2024: Presidents Corner

Have you already set your new year's resolutions for 2024? I must confess, I have not done so. I’ve learned the importance of not rushing the process.  However, there’s one thing I do know is a key component in pursuing whatever goals I set for this year. And that’s an enduring heart and inner resilience. Whatever it is each of us decides to focus on this year, I know it will require an inner commitment that only we can measure.

“The fruit of perseverance will grow and ripen within you, and one day will become the source of your deepest pride.” - Mother Moon, Founder, Women’s Federation for World Peace USA

I recently read an article on what makes a good leader from Harvard Business Review. In it the author describes the concept of “crucibles” which cause a person to form a new identity. I’m sure each of you have also experienced such transformative moments in your life. The true measure of our inner strength lies in how we navigate through these trials and whether we emerge at our destination renewed or battered. 

Is it possible to do as Mother Moon says and allow the fruit of perseverance to ripen within us, so much so that it makes us proud of ourselves? Conventional wisdom teaches us to hold our breath, grit and bear it, and take the plunge. While this may work for some of us, I find when I take this approach I lose my sense of heart, my inner connection with the divine. Instead I’ve learned the importance of being present, breathing and remembering the bigger picture. 

What do midwives and doctors recommend during the intense moments of childbirth?—moments of intense contraction that can make it feel as if the world is on the brink of collapse. Breathe. Inhale and exhale. Allow the pain and adversity to flow through you, trusting that you are laboring towards something far greater than the present discomfort. A new life.

This particular experience is one of the many that makes mothers some of the wisest among us. Through enduring excruciating pain, we have witnessed and embraced the profound rewards that follow. We have learned to breathe through the pain and arrive with hope for the future. It’s a lesson we can all apply in our lives as we get ready to enter the new year: the resilience to weather storms, the strength to breathe through challenges, and the wisdom to see beyond momentary difficulties. May the seeds of perseverance we plant today bear fruit that we can take pride in tomorrow. Here's to a year of growth, resilience, and embracing the transformative power of inner resilience.