One of the most valuable life skills that a person can develop is resiliency. Why? Life is hard. Life is unfair. Your parents and teachers were right, my friend!

However, you are not alone in this pain because this is true for everyone. Realizing that everyone experiences negative circumstances in their lives can help you accept it and find your way on the road to being resilient.

Today let’s look at:

• The Definition of Resilience
• The importance of Mindset
• Practice Creative Thinking
• Prepare for Bad Times

One definition of Resilience goes like this:

The ability to bounce back after each setback.  – Angela L. Duckworth, author of Grit

Other descriptive words include elasticity, grit, perseverance. I think of palm trees when I think of resiliency. They bend in high winds with an attitude of “this won’t break me!”.  

It begins with your mindset. Having a positive, hopeful outlook on life mixed with a measure of wisdom and strategy, as well as strong supportive relationships, are what is needed to be resilient.

Some people are blessed naturally with a positive outlook on life, and others have to develop it, but it is possible, and necessary, to have a hopeful expectation that things will work out when bad times come.

If you struggle with negative thinking, this is the first place you will need to begin in your growth toward resiliency.  Read books and view videos on positive thinking, practice daily affirmations, be around positive people, start a gratitude journal…these are some ways to kickstart your positive attitude.

Next, practice creative thinking. There is always another way to solve a problem. Do not get stuck. There are always options! Get creative in your problem-solving! What appears to be a dead end is really only an exit ramp on to something that may just be even better! Life is always evolving, so having to pivot into another direction is not a bad thing. Try to see the challenge as an adventure.

Even if the challenge is so horrible that you can see no good in it (I’m thinking a major health problem, for instance) there are creative ways to bring good about.  Some have started support groups, or inspired others by sharing their faith or life experiences, or elevated awareness for the issue by speaking publicly or writing about it.  This pro-active mindset can make all the difference for the person going through the pain and difficulty.

Be prepared by planning ahead for bad times. I am mainly referring to financially, but this includes other ways as well. Be strategic and use the old phrase “hope for the best, prepare for the worst”.  Have a system in place for bad situations by building your network of close friends, having a plan B, and preparing safety nets. An emergency fund in the bank will give you a sense of security and soften the fall when it happens. You will be glad you did!

Yes, we all will experience unfair life events but decide to come through them stronger and better by being resilient. Be a palm tree, my friend!   

For further encouragement, here are two videos to enjoy.

-Jan Jones