From the course: Building Resilience

What does it mean to be resilient?

From the course: Building Resilience

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What does it mean to be resilient?

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Resilience is such a buzzword these days, but what does it actually mean to be resilient? I define resilience as the ability to bounce forward through setbacks and failures. Notice that I said bounce forward instead of bounce back. And that's because the truth is, you'll never go back to being the person you were before you went through a hard thing. And that shouldn't be your goal. To be resilient through a tough moment, you have to acknowledge the challenge you're facing, reflect on it, learn from it, and use it as a springboard to grow into a better version of yourself. Because here's the difficult truth: life involves pain and struggle. There will always be obstacles, failures, and setbacks to deal with. Being resilient through these challenges doesn't mean that you pretend things are fine when they're not. It doesn't mean that you stay positive all the time. It's great to have a positive attitude when you can in an authentic way, but if you fake a smile instead of acknowledging your tougher feelings, you're setting yourself up for failure. Remember, everything does not always have to be for the best. It's okay if a painful experience didn't make you stronger. It's okay if you're angry about a challenge and not grateful for how it shaped you. Sometimes things are just hard, and that's okay. Every single day in my office, I see people try to shortcut their struggles. They ignore them, avoid them and numb them. I wish that worked, but it doesn't. The only way out is through. Luckily, resilience is a muscle you can strengthen. Every obstacle you face is an opportunity to grow your resilience and face future challenges head on. Ready to talk about how to build resilience? Let's get into it.

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