Sometimes You Have To Move On, As If Nothing Had Happened …
When we go through difficult times, part of our brain keeps wanting to move on. It is the voice of logic, the one that aligns with what the people around us tell us, who try to give us hope, who care about us and offer us the best support to be able to move forward. . However, another part of our brain seems to want to resist change. She is stuck in a painful environment, where serenity and security no longer exist.
When we let go of someone or something, when we quit a job or let go of a friendship, our whole being is on high alert. This is a complex situation, which we must learn to deal with meticulously, wisely and appropriately.
Beyond vigorously opposing any negative emotions that we may be feeling, we also need to be aware of the emotional knot that surrounds us, in order to understand and undo it. It is a complex exercise which should allow us to better control ourselves and to decipher our behavior, in order to truly move forward.
Going forward is the only option, and we know it
Sometimes we underestimate the wonderful capacity for resistance and overcoming that we all have inside of us, right at the level of our heart. Yet it is an indestructible rough diamond, capable of illuminating even the darkest paths. To deepen this subject, it is important to know the little story that we will share with you in the rest of this article. It makes us think about who we are and how we operate.
The story of the lost message in an old bookstore
We often come across, whether on posters or on clothes, the famous English phrase: “ Keep calm and carry on “. Keep calm and move forward, the French translation of this leitmotif, is certainly one of the most used messages in the field of personal development. However, we know very little about its origin. To discover it, we have to cross time and space, to get to London in 1940, in the middle of the Second World War.
The British government was aware at this time that the situation in the kingdom could not be much worse. The war was in full swing and the Luftwaffe bombs kept lighting the skies over the capital, killing dozens of people every day. The British needed defensive instruments, and we’re not just talking about armaments. They needed to boost the morale of the entire population, by bringing out the famous British phlegm, that dignified and positive attitude in the face of the most tragic situations.
This is why British officials decided to design small signs and display them in the streets of London. It read, for example, “ Your Courage, Your Cheerfulness, Your Resolution will bring us Victory ” and “ Keep Calm and Carry On ”. It is this last panel that has had the most success. It has been printed over two million copies. It may sound anecdotal, but it was a significant budgetary investment that was made for this campaign, even though the Empire lacked everything.
The essential question surrounding this story is: was this message, sent to the British population, effective? The answer is clearly no. In reality, these messages were only put up in the streets to a very limited extent. Winston Churchill felt that the English did not need paternalistic messages to show courage. People already knew by then that moving forward was their only option. They had to fight and have confidence in the future. Human beings have their own mechanisms to put all their strength against the adversity that threatens them, to resist and to move forward.
Some of them were still posted, very sporadically, and more as a joke. Most of them have been hidden or destroyed. Nobody knew, for several years, that the British government had invested so much money in the realization of these small motivational signs.
It was not until 2000 that some of them were found in an old bookstore. This rediscovery was so surprising that the whole world was quickly informed and the panels became true icons of pop culture.
Going forward despite everything: a matter of enthusiasm and confidence
We all know it: deep down we have the feeling that we are made of an indestructible material, that resistance and persistence are written in our genes. However, what can we do when we totally lose our enthusiasm? How do we react when our feet are frozen, our hearts shut down and our mind polluted with negative thoughts?
Some keys to moving forward and not failing
- Become aware of your emotions. As we told you previously, we must be able to carry out an introspection, to become aware of our negative emotions and to understand them, to deconstruct them, to appropriate them to us and to channel them so that, little by little, they lose some their intensity.
- What do you deserve? Really think about this question and make a list of what you deserve as a person, as a human being: to be happy, to have a second chance, to be freer, to take responsibility for your mistakes, to achieve success, to have illusions …
- Observe how your feet touch the ground. It may seem silly to you at first, but the simple fact of realizing that our feet are touching the ground can give us a feeling of safety and exceptional mobility. We are not held back, we all have the capacity to move, to move forward… to act.
- Practice deep breathing and meditation. Connect with yourself and with everything around you. This practice will allow you to refocus and channel your emotions. You will be able to wake up your mind and become aware of all the perspectives available to you.
- Form a group of resilient people. Among your friends and family, there are some people who have seen the worst and who, without a doubt, have managed to move forward. Let them teach you how.
- Create a mantra. Create a sentence that will help you regain motivation, even in the darkest of times. Here are a few examples: “ I deserve it “, “ I am courageous ”, “ Wonderful things await me, I am prepared to welcome them with open arms “.
Finally, take the last step, certainly the most important: gain momentum. Moving forward is a leap into the unknown that requires faith and self-confidence. We can all choose to do this to enjoy a fuller and more satisfying reality. The one we deserve.
Our thoughts The neurobiology of resilience is the field of study that explains, from a biological point of view, one of the most fascinating processes of being …
