“Your success and your happiness lie in you. Make up your mind to stay happy and your joy and you will form an invincible host against difficulties. "- Helen Keller
Sue Pressman, 69th President of ACA
A s As we greet in 2021, I hope for the cure, health and happiness we seek as the country takes action with new programs to address the dire effects of social injustice as we leave the presidential election behind and become a reality as a vaccine against the coronavirus. The promise to reconnect personally with family, friends, colleagues and customers motivates me. The thought is uplifting and gives hope for new beginnings.
Because we have just come out of one of the toughest years of our lives and as we move and look to the future, I want to share a reflection of hope through a personal story.
On a bright spring morning in 2007, as I had my morning cup of coffee and turned on the TV to get the news, my heart sank. Coverage on each channel focused on mass shootings at Virginia Tech. Reality hit quickly. My daughter, then a 19-year-old freshman, lived in the dormitory – actually on the same floor – where the shootings and murders began. It was surreal, a nightmare. When we finally got the call that it was locked and ok, the feeling of relief was beyond description.
The university closed for a week, but what I saw after that was perhaps even more incredible. I saw the world come together. I've seen every other university in the country go out to help. Calls from my daughter came from everywhere, including other universities and sororities. The rivalries disappeared and there was a real encounter.
After a week, Virginia Tech reopened and my daughter wanted back. My husband and I drove them there and arrived on time for the prayer service. The memory of the 32 balloons that were sent to heaven is forever burned into my head. At that moment, my freshman looked at me with tears in his eyes and asked: "Will we ever be happy again?"
I gave her hope by telling her that everyone would heal at some point, she would be happy again, and the Virginia Tech community would be happy again.
I share my story because we have lived through unprecedented times of racial segregation, shop closings, terribly high unemployment, lockdowns, and widespread diseases that no one was prepared for. Rather than thinking about how we're emotionally drained to the point of exhaustion (and navigating through this new world of zoom fatigue), let's embrace the future through camaraderie, outreach, caring, and bonding. In other words, to learn the resilience lessons that resulted from Virginia Tech's determination to prevail. Students declined and over time the university grew and became stronger. Respected poet and university professor Nikki Giovanni remarked at the memorial service: “We are strong and brave. … We are better than we think. … We will prevail! We will prevail! We will prevail! "
How important is my story for counseling? Counselors are able to help people heal, pursue good health, and pursue happiness. We do this through our ability to listen, reflect, clarify, and acknowledge the feelings that life brings to all of us. When I think of new beginnings, this may be the perfect time to redefine and reset your goals – and help your clients continue to grow and prosper in 2021.
Research shows that only 8% of New Year's resolutions are realized. In that light, here are five alternatives from lawyer and entrepreneur Marelisa Fabrega (daringtolivefully.com):
1) Create a bucket list.
2) Create a 30 day monthly challenge.
3) Create an annual challenge.
4) Make a list of things to look forward to.
5) Create a one-word mantra for the year.
What does greeting in the new year mean for you?