Resilience

Eric Greitens

INTRODUCTION

Adversity is an unavoidable part of life and only by facing it head-first can we unleash our true potential. This feat can be accomplished through resilience. It prevents us from taking the easy way out by allowing suffering to bring us down. Taking a stand and not letting fear and doubt get to us is the real spirit of resilience. Overcoming hurdles is difficult but you will be stronger for it in the end and can quite possibly turn it into something positive.

Both these examples make it clear that it isn’t just ‘bouncing back’ from a problem that’s important but working through it and using it to your advantage.

ANYTHING WORTH HAVING IS WORTH THE STRUGGLE

All of us have desires and wants that are difficult to obtain. But anything worth having requires a lot of energy and hard work. Knowing what’s worth the struggle is also vital to this process. But how can one have that knowledge? In the end, it’s all about having a purpose and this should not be taken lightly nor is it something you nonchalantly find. You can make your path to a worthwhile purpose by taking control and stepping out of your comfort zone.

Human beings, by nature, yearn for a challenge. We are hardwired to thrive when faced with a problem and these are our best moments, not the peaceful and passive times. A scientific study proved this and termed this state as flow, where we are completely immersed in what we are doing. It is essential to understand that this flow emerges only when we are being challenged which means that when not given something to solve, our minds wane.

In short, the ultimate objective of life isn’t to avoid challenges but rather to pick and solve the meaningful ones. We cannot work with zero drive or purpose and cannot bloom into our full potential.

TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR OUR ACTIONS

Resilience is about taking responsibility and accepting the things you have no power over so you can channel your energy into the things you can change. A tried and tested method of dealing with tragedy lies in what Jewish philosopher, Solomon ibn Gabirol wrote: wisdom and peace lie in ‘being reconciled to the uncontrollable.’ 

Human beings possess an indomitable spirit that can never be subdued or taken away from them and it shines through in times of need. This was seen in refugee camps when the truly resilient people didn’t let it daunt or deter them from living their lives. They taught children in the camps, organized sports, etc. 

Taking responsibility for your actions and your life is the right thing to do.  Nazi Germany was founded on people who did not want any sort of control or accountability over their own lives and that led to the largest genocide in history.

THE POWER OF REPETITION

Most people don’t realize that good habits have to be nurtured over time and built carefully using repetition and practice.

The more you do something the more ingrained it becomes inside. If you want to be kind then practice being kind and repeat the action until it becomes a part of your personality. Your habits make up a big part of who you are. To evolve into a better version of yourself, you need to cultivate good habits and repeat them until you reach your desired state.

FIND MEANINGFUL CHALLENGES 

Pushing yourself to tackle your demons is undoubtedly painful but it is a necessary step. War veterans usually retire from the battlefield with little to no sense of purpose or direction in their lives and succumb to alcoholism. Some take back their grip on reality by teaching children or coaching sportsmen. This gives them a purpose and a reason to strive harder.

  Do not give up or falter in front of a challenge. Just because something is hard or tragic does not mean that it cannot be overcome!

              Find a higher purpose than yourself especially when things get                 

                                                hard.   Outer growth leads to inner growth.                        

LEARN TO ACCEPT FAILURE

Remember that it is completely acceptable to fail at things, it’s even expected. When you were taught how to ride a bike, you might have fallen and hurt yourself a few times before you grasped the basics. This can be applied to every facet of our life as well: at first, you fail only then does success follow. As Samuel Beckett said, “Try again; Fail again; Fail better.”       Failure is a reality that all of us are just going to have to accept to usher in success. It is part of the road to self-improvement and is therefore unavoidable. We must find a way to absorb a lesson from each mistake.

It is difficult to submit to failure after tasting a bit of success. Fear settles in about venturing into the realm of failure due to this. But once this fear is overcome, new and exciting adventures can commence. Defeat is only temporary and it simultaneously cultivates motivation to be better as well as strength and willpower.            

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