Resilience is the ability of an object to return to its original form after being bent, stretched or compressed. That’s the dictionary’s definition of resilience.

For humans, it’s the ability to readily recover, to bounce back from setbacks, overcome obstacles, work through injury, recover from ill health and survive adversity.

Life can usually throw us a curveball when we least expect it or need it.

Resilience has helped and will continue to support you upon this journey that we call Life.

But what is resilience all about?

It is about self-discipline.
-It takes a lot to do the things you do and not get caught up in the emotion of what may or may not happen.
-It takes great discipline to stick to the things you have to do rather than what you want to do.
-It takes great discipline to block out the negativity around you.
-It takes great discipline to not listen to that little voice inside your head that tells you that you are getting a raw deal or asking, ”Why is this happening to me?”.
-It takes great discipline to stay focused on the task at hand.
-It takes great discipline to deal with the fear and anxiety surrounding what you have to go through.
-It takes great discipline to overcome fear and anxiety by knowing things will be good if you do what is right.
-It takes skill to know what is right, but it takes a lot more to actually do the right thing.

It’s also all about independence and self-reliance.

Resilience teaches us that whether or not what happened was our fault is inconsequential. But what makes it right is your responsibility: to stand up above all, and everyone else and take responsibility to get yourself to where you need to be and beyond. It takes a lot of character and courage not to go down the self pity, lay blame, why did this happen to me scenario.

You take responsibility for what happened and accept responsibility to overcome it. This is independence and self-reliance at its best. But at the same time, you work with the people around you to get the best possible result in the time frame you have.

You go through the test of having to ask yourself the tough questions. You do what is required to have the true insight and understanding of what is needed to allow yourself and others to deal with this situation and deal with it properly. Therefore, resilience requires insight and understanding.

You take responsibility for where things were and where you needed them to be.

That is… you know that you are responsible, and it is ultimately up to you, but you recognise that you will need the help of others. Therefore, your selection of people becomes vital, as does your ability to place trust in them by letting them do what they need to do to help you.

Resilience requires perspective.

Where are things at, and where do you want them to go? What needs to be done and by whom? What timelines do you have? What happens if this happens? All of these questions and situations require understanding and perspective of the highest calibre.

Resilience requires enterprise.

That is the need to take control of the situation and do it in a way that requires energy and effort. Open-minded thinking. Enterprise to realise what it takes to get this back to where it should be … and beyond.

Resilience requires imagination.

Where are you at, and what do you have to do to go forward? It would help if you were open-minded to what it will take to get the job done.

Resilience requires principle.

There is an easy way, a hard way and the right way to deal with things. In your mind, there is only one way, and that is to do the things the right way; by following the principles of character that have guided you through life –the lessons and ideas that were taught to you by your parents and family.

In the end, though, resilience is about turning what others call “failure” or “insurmountable” into Success. Resilience is about the ideology of never giving up. resilience is about doing what it takes to get things done and to get them done the right way.

Therefore, resilience is not a part-time thought; it is a full-time action.

The Journey Continues!