Can you Learn from Bart the Cat?

photo Bart the CatHave you heard about Bart the Cat from Tampa? Apparently, on one of Bart’s ritual romps around the neighborhood, he was hit by a car. Bart, an almost 2-year-old cat, was severely hurt in the accident and had multiple injuries. Bart’s owner alleges that the cat appeared lifeless and he was presumed dead. Distraught with grief, he asked his neighbor to bury Bart in a shallow grave. Five days later, Zombie Bart was seen gallivanting around the neighbor’s backyard, meowing for food.

 

Bart was alive.

 

The owner was, of course, shocked. Since he didn’t have the funds for a vet, he took Bart to the Humane Society. There, they performed surgery to remove his eye, wire his jaw shut and insert a feeding tube. He’s not quite out of the woods yet, but he’s doing well and making progress.

 

We’ve all heard the adage about cats having 9 lives. It appears that Bart now has eight left. Bart truly had the odds stacked against him when the car hit him. The fact that he was able to come back to life after being buried underground is another story. Apparently, Bart had quite a desire to live. He fought back with all the energy he had left in his tired, broken body.

 

Bart is a good representation of RESILIENCE.

image Bart cat

 

As incredible as it seems, we all could learn a thing or two from Bart’s story. Imagine if we could harness some of the resiliency that Bart has and channel it into our work or personal life. Let me explain.

 

Bart was quite the problem-solver. It appeared that Bart’s time was up when he was buried in the backyard. However, he was able to figure out a solution to his problem- digging his way out of the dire situation. Bart viewed his dilemma as a challenge, not an obstacle. He didn’t give up; he just assumed that there was a solution to his problem.

 

Bart took control of a bad situation. Bart definitely didn’t play the “victim card”. He accepted what life had thrown his way and made the best of it. Instead of obsessing on why this horrible experience had happened to him, he focused all his energy into what he could control in his life. He then used the extra energy to dig his way out of the grave. I’m sure he just assumed that his plan would work.

 

Bart accepts CHANGE. Bart’s environment was a far cry from his favorite chair at home. The Veterinarian that cared for him commented that despite his severe injuries and traumatic experience, Bart was an incredibly sweet cat. Apparently, Bart adapted to each experience and viewed his current life as “the new normal”. He didn’t look back- he just kept moving forward, putting one paw in front of another.

 

The definition of resilience is the ability to withstand stress and catastrophe. It’s the ability to adapt to everyday changes and recover quickly from change or misfortune. If each one of us could channel a bit of Bart daily as we go about our lives, we would be more apt to find the success, happiness and peace that we are hoping for.

 

Readjust

images fish juumping

My son left the other day to go back to his on-campus house for the summer.  He has already graduated but he’ll be living in Michigan until he makes his big move to the West Coast.  He spent two weeks at home with my husband and I.  We enjoyed shopping trips, dog walks and nice dinners together. All in all, we had a wonderful time.

 

When he left Sunday afternoon, the house was eerily quiet and I felt a strange sadness.  He was gone and it had occurred to me that it was probably the last long visit he would ever spend at home. Things would never be the same. I thought about that for a while. And then I thought about how it was time to readjust.

 

By Tuesday, my husband and I were in a new routine and were busy focusing on our plans for a bike trip to Chicago. We were mapping out our route and finding a hotel in the perfect area.  Yes, it was definitely time to readjust and move on.

 

So what’s the option if you don’t readjust and move on?  Being stuck.  I’m sure you’ve been there a couple times in your life. It’s easy to recognize when you’re there: you know things have to change, need to change, must change, but you just can’t seem to find a way to dig yourself out from the mess.

 

You become bogged down with feelings and emotions that seem to get heavier and heavier.  Before you know it, you’ve become comfortable where you are and you stay. Being comfortable while not actually being content or happy is… at least, predictable. Readjustment is an unknown quantity.

 

Some people stay longer than others. Resilient individuals move on.

 

Readjusting your life takes energy and momentum.  Chances are, you might not feel like you have the energy to take on or accept a new situation. You figure that you’ll just get through another day, another week, and another month right where you are.  There is a risk in this approach: you can wake up and realize that for years you’ve been thinking about things while still hanging on to the past. And the truth is, the past really hadn’t been working for quite some time.

 

It truly doesn’t matter who you are or what part of your life you are struggling with right now.  It could be your career, your employees at work, or a piece of your personal life— it’s all the same.  In order to live a healthy successful life, the ability to readjust is crucial.  It directly impacts your overall resilience skills in life. This ability to deftly redirect and find a new path, new thinking, and not get stuck in the “way it was or should be” is your key to success.

 

So, are you investing energy into something when you really need to let go?  Have they proposed a new policy at work that’s difficult for you to accept and take the needed steps forward?  Are you tired of a relationship in your life that’s not working but can’t seem to move beyond talking about it? Are you feeling bored in your career and need to change your direction but can’t seem to get started? Do you need a lifestyle overhaul to become a bit healthier?

 

Then readjust.

 

Let’s get as many people on board as possible to readjust and move on. Make a pact to send this to just ONE PERSON that might need a little push in the right direction. You never know, it might just be the very thing that gives them the momentum to change.

 

Readjust

images fish juumping

My son left the other day to go back to his on-campus house for the summer.  He has already graduated but he’ll be living in Michigan until he makes his big move to the West Coast.  He spent two weeks at home with my husband and I.  We enjoyed shopping trips, dog walks and nice dinners together. All in all, we had a wonderful time.

 

When he left Sunday afternoon, the house was eerily quiet and I felt a strange sadness.  He was gone and it had occurred to me that it was probably the last long visit he would ever spend at home. Things would never be the same. I thought about that for a while. And then I thought about how it was time to readjust.

 

By Tuesday, my husband and I were in a new routine and were busy focusing on our plans for a bike trip to Chicago. We were mapping out our route and finding a hotel in the perfect area.  Yes, it was definitely time to readjust and move on.

 

So what’s the option if you don’t readjust and move on?  Being stuck.  I’m sure you’ve been there a couple times in your life. It’s easy to recognize when you’re there: you know things have to change, need to change, must change, but you just can’t seem to find a way to dig yourself out from the mess.

 

You become bogged down with feelings and emotions that seem to get heavier and heavier.  Before you know it, you’ve become comfortable where you are and you stay. Being comfortable while not actually being content or happy is… at least, predictable. Readjustment is an unknown quantity.

 

Some people stay longer than others. Resilient individuals move on.

 

Readjusting your life takes energy and momentum.  Chances are, you might not feel like you have the energy to take on or accept a new situation. You figure that you’ll just get through another day, another week, and another month right where you are.  There is a risk in this approach: you can wake up and realize that for years you’ve been thinking about things while still hanging on to the past. And the truth is, the past really hadn’t been working for quite some time.

 

It truly doesn’t matter who you are or what part of your life you are struggling with right now.  It could be your career, your employees at work, or a piece of your personal life— it’s all the same.  In order to live a healthy successful life, the ability to readjust is crucial.  It directly impacts your overall resilience skills in life. This ability to deftly redirect and find a new path, new thinking, and not get stuck in the “way it was or should be” is your key to success.

 

So, are you investing energy into something when you really need to let go?  Have they proposed a new policy at work that’s difficult for you to accept and take the needed steps forward?  Are you tired of a relationship in your life that’s not working but can’t seem to move beyond talking about it? Are you feeling bored in your career and need to change your direction but can’t seem to get started? Do you need a lifestyle overhaul to become a bit healthier?

 

Then readjust.

 

Let’s get as many people on board as possible to readjust and move on. Make a pact to send this to just ONE PERSON that might need a little push in the right direction. You never know, it might just be the very thing that gives them the momentum to change.