Today’s episode will help you do something DIFFERENT this time. Whether you’ve ever been through a divorce, breakup, death of a loved on, the loss of a loved one, a natural disaster…hurricane, tornado, flood, earthquake…loss of a job, bankruptcy, you name it…LIFE HAPPENS. When life happens, it’s what you do with what happens that makes all the difference in the world.

We can’t control certain things or circumstances, but what we CAN do is to start where we ARE when things happen.

What prompted this podcast was something that happened on my show this morning…Speak Up Saturday. I do a Facebook Live at 11:11 am (central). (By the way, I’d love to have you come over to my Dr. Shannon Page and check it out. It’s a live program, where you can call in – like an old-fashioned LIVE call in show.)

One of the questions I received this morning inspired today’s podcast. A woman called in, and asked me, “What do you do when all of a sudden everything in your life is unfamiliar…with major changes…how do you come back from that?”

When you’re surrounded by a lot of UNFAMILIAR, and it feels scary, and you feel out of control, the best thing to do is to START with what you KNOW.

Not the kind of KNOWING that’s familiar, but lacks peace, power, or is simply NOT working. I’m talking about the kind of KNOWING where you feel so strong, certain, and powerful in that TRUTH.

Whatever that is for you, start there.

I remember a very difficult, unsteady, unstable time in my life before I got divorced. I cried out to God and asked, “Now what?” What I heard in my heart was, “Give thanks. Be grateful.”

So I did, and everything began to shift in my life.

I focused on the ONE thing that I DID KNOW for sure. I knew I could give thanks for this one thing, and it’s where I put all my attention. As I continued to increase my level of gratitude for that one thing, my life began to change.

1. Start with what you do KNOW. Then give thanks for it. Put your attention there.

This helped me even in the most horrible experience of my life…when both my parents were killed in a car accident.

I knew my life would NEVER be the same.

So I made some decisions.

I made the decision to NOT try to keep it (or make it) the same, but to be present with what was in the moment.

I made the decision to FEEL the pain I was feeling. To feel it, but NOT FEED it.

I made a commitment to receive the different life that I now have, and to be open to seeing things differently, and living in a way I’ve never lived before.

It’s been HUGE for me!

If you’re in the grieving process right now, this may sound like it’s easier said than done. The truth is, it’s harder to do it the other way. The longer we resist change, the longer we stay in that place of unfamiliar, pain- while suffering needlessly.

Yes, feel the pain you feel…for as long and as often as you need to feel it. But feel it, don’t feed it.

If you’re needing to start over, start with what you KNOW.

2. Take an inventory of what you KNOW…your desires, beliefs, and all that you KNOW in that moment. This will help you see where you are.

And even though your life’s been turned upside down, and nothing feels comfortable, you can ask yourself what you desire in moving forward.

If you desire to start over, you have to START.

You have to start with you you HAVE in that moment. Taking an inventory will help you see the pieces that you have to work with.

3. Take an inventory of your RESOURCES. The people in your life, the relationships. Your tangible and intangible resources. Life. Go through the list and look at every resource that you find valuable. Write it down.

Begin to see what you have to work with, and you’ll be able to start formulating a plan for yourself.

As you do this with gratitude and appreciation, you’ll begin to see LIFE after LOSS.

This is how you start to START OVER.

Remember that just because you’re starting over doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re starting at square one.

Why? Because you’re starting over with knowledge and wisdom that you didn’t have before. You’re starting over with new perspective, and new power (even though you may feel powerless). You’re starting with an opportunity to see things differently, and to build IT differently this time.

You must address your current beliefs, desires, trust, your truth, and who you trust in. If you don’t, you’ll end up building the same thing again.

Are YOU going to be trustworthy? Are you going to trust the trustworthy ones? Are you going to trust the process of life? Are you going to trust God?

In order to create something NEW, it’s going to take some new beliefs, new desires, different and new resources, a new perspective, and a new level of trust.

When you begin there, and START…you can build something SO MUCH BIGGER.

Less is often MORE, and bigger isn’t always bigger in size When I say bigger, I mean SO MUCH MORE SIGNIFICANT to you in that moment.

This is called RESTORATION.

It’s not simply trying to recover that which you’ve lost or trying to build it over again. It’s when you make the decision to build something that’s even MORE fantastic, incredible, deeper, wiser, sustainable, and with greater longevity and legacy than you’ve ever built before.

Often we pray for something DIFFERENT, but when DIFFERENT shows up we freak out, and think that God’s left us.

He hasn’t. YOU’RE NOT ALONE.

The big question is, when something different shows up, are you going to do something DIFFERENT? To build what you desire? Instead of creating the same thing over and over again.

TODAY’S SACRED S.O.L. STEP:

Take a look at your life, and identity where you’re starting over or would desire to start over.

Please grab your SACRED S.O.L. D.A.T.E. JOURNAL (Daily Action To Engage with yourself.)

Start by writing out an inventory of your beliefs, desires, TRUTH, in what, and in whom, you trust…as well as your resources.

As you write these things down, choose a couple resources to start with TODAY.

Again, the biggest key to starting over is STARTING.

I would love to hear from you, and know what’s happening in your life. Please come over to my Dr. Shannon Facebook Page. I’d love to see you there. Every day I do a LIVE video at 11:11 am (central), and on Saturdays I do a LIVE call in show – SPEAK UP SATURDAY. You can call in and ask a question, or I’ll ask YOU a question.

If you desire different answers in your life, then you must ask different questions. I can help you do that.

xo Dr. Shannon. Inspiring minds that want to grow and hearts that want to know, so you can love you, your life, and your life’s work well. ONE SIP AT A TIME.

A special thanks to the following souls for helping me launch our WOMEN SIPPING ON LIFE podcast…

Intro/Outro done by Uni V. SOL 

Outro music by Jay Man: Mind Over Matter (www.ourmusicbox.com) 

Podcast cover design and web site done by: Pablo Aguilar (www.webdesigncreator.com)

Podcast cover photo by Kate Montague of KM Captured (www.kmcaptured.com)