Rejuvination with Leslie Juvin

Leslie Juvin and her Mother

My mom, Marissa, is one of the most humble people I know. Maybe it’s because she lived in third world poverty in the Philippines until her 20s. Maybe it was because she raised four children with a disconnected husband. Maybe it’s because she came to the United States as an immigrant and learned how to read and write English by reading the King James Bible.

The good news is, you don’t have to go through what my mother has gone through to be a grounded, humble person. You don’t have to have “Remember” tattooed to your wrist, like me, to help you remember your roots and purpose in life. Here are a few tips to staying grounded.

Remember Your Purpose
Sometimes, we get caught up in our successes or problems that we forget our purpose. Forgetting our purpose sounds like a ridiculous and simple thing to do, but trust me, it happens every day and faster than we can say, “Timbuktu”. When I coach my clients who get caught up in crazy situations, I always have to remind them of the purpose they stated in the beginning of our coaching relationship.

Sometimes, my clients refer back to their spiritual roots – their family and religious traditions – that guide them as they understand the purpose and value of their lives. Others get back to basics, living their lives as simply as possible to start again.
Remember How You’ve Felt
There was a time when you felt down and out. Maybe there was a time when you felt as if you were on top of the world. You’ve made mistakes and you’ve had successes. Remember what that feels like. When we experience someone around us who is going through a difficult phase in their lives, we can reach out to them with compassion. Compassion comes from remembering the feelings we’ve experienced in empathizing with the others’ situation. In doing so, we can recognize through instinct how to act and navigate our relationships.

Remember The Sacrifices You And Others Have Made
Chances are, someone has taken a risk for you. Maybe it was that boss that trusted their gut when hiring you. Perhaps, it’s your mom or dad who saved up what could have been their much needed vacation money for your college education. Maybe it’s that teacher who helped you navigate through tough times. Maybe it’s your colleague who did favors for you so you could duck out of work early. Big or small, someone has made sacrifices for your happiness and success. We all make sacrifices for the greater good and it doesn’t even matter if the other person knows what you’ve done in sacrifice. Remember those who have shown you love and compassion and return the favor to someone else.

Remember The Phases of Your Life
You weren’t always successful. You weren’t always as healthy and wealthy as you are now. Perhaps, you’re not where you want to be right now. To stay grounded, it’s important to remember that we have gone through many phases and were many different people in the past. I remember when I first moved out. I had a few hundred dollars to my name, a beat up old Honda with about 200,000 miles on it, and a piece of paper that said I was accepted to the University of North Florida. Even though that was ages ago, I can remember that this phase was my launching point. It was the place in my life that I would have to make something from nothing. In remembering such phases, we’re humbled. We may not have all of life’s answers at our fingertips, but in remembering how we’ve grasped for them, we can connect to others experiencing such phases.

Honor Growth
Every single day, we’re changing. We’re either changing for the better or changing for the worse. Either way, each person on this planet is here for something – whether we know it or now – and we’re growing. Honor the growth and spiritual evolution each person is making and respect that. We don’t have to agree or even be friends, but we can honor the challenging experience of being a human being.

How do you keep grounded? I’d love to know what you do.