Building Resilience 09
Fake it 'til you make it
When we're dealt a difficult situation, what choice do we have but to be strong? None. And it stinks because we probably don’t feel strong.
Let’s say you lost your job. How are you feeling? You could be sad. Shocked. Blindsided. Angry. Frightened. Paralyzed. Worried. You need to find a new job, now. No, yesterday.
It’s hard to feel strong when we’re completely freaked out.
So we pretend. We put one foot in front of the other and keep going. We fake it ‘til we make it.
It's called resilience.
And then, one day, you’ve got a new job or your divorce is final or your spouse is out of the hospital. You’re in a new “place,” as we say.
Now take a moment to celebrate your resilience. No matter how shocked, blindsided, or frightened you were, you did it. You came out the other side. What should that tell you?
If you did it once, you can do it again.
Resilience breeds resilience
Can you even imagine how many times some poor soul pulled the ivy off that wall just to have it grow back? Ivy doesn’t take “no” for an answer. It’s constantly challenged by those seeking to stop its growth. As a result, it’s developed tremendous persistence, endurance, and stamina. Ivy is the very definition of the phrase “resilience breeds resilience.”
Just because we fall down, doesn’t mean we have to stay down. The burden is temporary.
Take it from the ivy.
See you next time!
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