Resilience

 

“Resilience is very different than being numb. Resilience means you experience, you feel, you fail, you hurt. You fall. But you keep going.”

Yasmin Mogahed

 

We all have a way of framing what we experience in life.

Some of us tend to see the cup as half-full and those are called, the optimists and others tend to see it as half-empty and those are called, the pessimists.

However, if we desire to be more resilient in our day-to-day lives, we need to actively choose optimism and do away with all brands of pessimism, even during our darkest moments of trial and tribulations.

By doing so, we would bounce back from any challenging circumstances and negative events with class and courage that will surprise not only us but also everyone around us.

In the words of an American author of ‘Resilience: Reflections on the Burdens and Gift of Facing Life’s Adversities’ Elizabeth Edwards. She defines it thus:

“Resilience is accepting your new reality, even if it's less good than the one you had before. You can fight it, you can do nothing but scream about what you've lost, or you can accept that and try to put together something that's good.”

Resilience is what enables the Bamboo tree to withstand the vicissitudes of times without breaking under the stress. With resilience, Bamboo can bend with the wind and adapt to the severest of weather conditions.

Even better than the tree and animals, we as intelligent beings have the ability to bounce back from the most difficult of times, if we have the unshakable will to thrive in the midst of chaos.

The seeds of our resilience are planted in the way we process the situations we face. Therefore, we should focus on what we can change, accept what we can’t change and make the most of the moment at hand.

In his book, ‘Real Life: Preparing for the 7 Most Challenging Days of Your Life,’ Dr. Phil aims to fuel your spirit of resilience by reminding you that:

“You can love, lose and survive. You can fall to your knees and cry in pain. You can feel a horrible, crippling emptiness, yet recover and fill yourself up again.”

 

To Develop Your Resilience, Temper Negativity with Wisdom

No matter what has happened, we can learn and grow stronger, if we have the right perspective, which is a byproduct of wisdom.

Great value can be gleaned from painful experiences, if we are wise enough to weather the storm with patience.

However, for most of us, this is not an easy thing to do. But those who are able to transcend their painful difficulties are the ones who have learned to tap from the collective wisdom of the ages in form divine wisdom or good books of principles and virtues.

Through study and contemplation, they are transformed. Now, they understand that others in the past (and even in the present) have gone through something far worse than whatever they may be facing. That is what keeps them calm and collected in the midst of their most painful moments.

In this direction, Carol Orsborn, the author of ‘Older, Wiser, Fiercer; the Wisdom Collection’ enlightens us further on the art of resilience. She writes:

“Mastering the art of resilience does much more than restore you to who you once thought you were. Rather, you emerge from the experience transformed into a truer expression of who you were really meant to be.”

You see, true resilience goes beyond surviving our painful difficulties; it includes thriving on because of those painful difficulties.

No wonder, the peak performance expert, Tony Robbins says that: “No one's life is a smooth sail; we all come into stormy weather. But it's this adversity - and more specifically our resilience - that makes us strong and successful.”

In essence, our adversities can become a real advantage, when we decide to master the art of resilience.