“It may not seem so now amidst the heat, chaos, injury, loss and destruction, but with time out of the ashes of this fire will come new life....like a phoenix. Watch and wait.....” excerpted from Notes From a Cape Town Botanist.

This was the closing paragraph of a beautifully written article giving perspective on the recent fires that raged through the Cape Town mountains and the devastation left in its wake. For me it depicts the cycle of life as Mother Nature inhales and exhales in a constant process of completion and creation. However, as I sat in the midst of the smoke and the ash, I struggled to connect to the value and necessity of what seemed like devastation and destruction with the same intensity that I resist the challenges and 'devastating blows' I experience in my life.

What if in these moments we take a lesson from nature? Recognise that life is a constant cycle of ups and downs, ebb and flow, inhale and exhale. From this perspective I am able to stop fighting and resisting what has happened and rather ride the wave, watching and waiting. This puts me back in flow with the natural rhythms of my life. Will there be a constant flow of challenges and obstacles? Absolutely, yes! So powerful questions for me are “Who do I choose to be in the face of these challenges?" and "What growth is now possible from these circumstances?"

What if in these moments we take a lesson from nature? Recognize that life is a constant cycle of ups and downs, ebb and flow, inhale and exhale.
From this perspective I am able to stop fighting and resisting what has happened and rather ride the wave, watching and waiting.

This puts me back in flow with the natural rhythms of my life. Will there be a constant flow of challenges and obstacles?
Absolutely, yes! So powerful questions for me are “Who do I choose to be in the face of these challenges?" and "What growth is now possible from these circumstances?"

1. Develop and execute your action plan. Continually review and complete the things on your action plan. Dedicate the appropriate amount of time and effort to completing each step you have identified.
2. Let go of expectations. Don’t create false deadlines or assume that things have to go a certain way. Be flexible and allow things to unfold in their own way and in their own time.
3. Continually remind yourself of the benefits. There are advantages to taking things one step at a time and learning along the way.
4. Acknowledge your progress. Acknowledge and appreciate every single thing you have accomplished. Give yourself credit. This is not the time to be your harshest critic.
5. Decide that you aren't stopping. Make up your mind that it simply doesn’t matter how long it takes, you are going to continue working at what you want to do. Decide from the onset that you will never give up on something that is so aligned with your desires and what you feel you should be doing.
6. Know that it works. Realize that continually taking one step after another means that eventually you arrive where you want to. You can and should still desire to take quantum leaps from time to time, but know that you are more than capable of experiencing success by taking things one baby step at a time.