"Mom's father died last night at about 3 am."

This was the text we got in the family group chat with my in-laws about three weeks ago.

Then, just a few days ago, we got this in my family's group chat:

"My Dad is with my Mother. He went about 11:07 pm."

Losing a loved one is hard. Losing two at once is exhausting. The last week has been a blur as we had to get back from vacation, try to get some work done, and then attended two funerals, one yesterday and another today.

I feel almost completely emotionally spent, even though I feel peace knowing that these two great men are with their spouses again. 

Here are just two quick lessons that I got from these funerals that can help you through the journey of life.

1. You can find your strengths by looking to your parents and grandparents.

Don't focus on your weaknesses. Find your strengths and double-down on them every day.

There are many ways to discover what you're best at. While hearing stories of my grandpa this week I realized that one of the best is to look at your ancestors.

Think about all four of your grandparents. If you could summarize their greatest strengths in just a few words, what would it be? I’ve discovered that I've got a natural tendency for compassion, selflessness, grit, ambition, connection, organization, to name a few.

Doing this will make you more confident, improve your happiness, and it can even make you more money by making you better at your job.

2. When life gets tough, slow down.

This week has been easier every time I’ve given myself permission to take everything slower.

Work is busier than ever right now, but slowing down has made it doable when my mental and emotional batteries have been drained. 

Taking time to allow myself to grieve, rest, and take longer to do everything from getting ready to planning ahead has helped me keep going when I didn't think I had anything left.

When things are hard for you, don’t try to go faster. Take it slow and you’ll find that it’s easier to manage everything you’ve got going on.