How we celebrated Victory In Europe Day - VE Day!
On the morning of 8th May 1945, a national day of Victory in Europe was declared in Britain. Churchill had gained assurance that there were sufficient food and drinks in the capital city of London, for people to enjoy.
This year, the UK government moved the May Bank Holiday from Monday 1st to VE Day which was on the 8th May 2020, to remember the sacrifices the veterans made in WWII - let's have a bit of a history lesson...why not.
As the nation marked the 75th anniversary of VE day on Friday 8th May, our neighbourhood decided to hold a street party! What a treat! It was nice to see people in good spirits, drinking, eating, chatting and laughing whilst maintaining social distancing of course!
My kids got involved, they cooked their specialties and set the table for the occasion.
As we reflect on this day, casting our minds as far back as 75 years ago, these are the lessons I took away from it:
Resilience & Perseverance:
I cast my mind to a huge challenge I faced in the work place some time ago. During the difficult period, I decided to do the right thing and push myself beyond the limit in order to achieve my goal. Whenever I felt like giving up, I would remind myself of the larger goal of attaining a promotion. This allowed me to keep working hard and meeting deadlines even with the additional pressure of staff shortages and other issues going on at the time. I developed skills within me I didn't even realise existed. This in turn made the challenges seem smaller as I pursued a higher goal and developed ways of dealing with difficulties. Perseverance is about having the stamina to keep going and doing the right thing. It is about setting the right goals, having the right mindset and doing the right things in a habitual manner. These qualities enabled me to resist the obstacles I faced.
The ability to overcome adversity:
No one is immune to adversity but having the perspective and mindset to make it through the tough times, is one way to overcome it. I was not scared to take a stance that I may be "alone" in dealing with the issue at the time but my attitude towards the challenges would create an opportunity that would allow me feel better once it's over. My self-confidence combined with my faith, gave me the assurance that I would make it through anything! Let's just say I was pleased with the outcome as I was granted the promotion I deserved; albeit months later on.
When I persevere, I tend not to dwell on the challenges I face but just tick them off my "to-do-list", learn from them and move onto the next level.
Bravery: I have learnt to be brave as I got older and wiser. I purposefully surround myself with strong positive minded people as I seek to constantly expand my comfort zone and knowing that feeling uncomfortable at times, is what is needed to develope myself as a person. As I reflect on what the veterans had to go through, I am reminded of what can be overcome with bravery.
#Anniversary75 #VEDay75 #CelebratingEndOfWorldWar2 #LessonsLearnt #StreetParty
