“Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.”
Confucius
I heard a snippet by NIAID Director, Dr. Anthony Fauci – who said things will likely start to return to “normal” in the second or third quarter of next year.
The thing that struck me was…Really?! Another nine months of this?!
I promptly stopped in my tracks and had a mini meltdown.
Like most of us, I’ve been head down, one foot in front of the other. Seeking to thrive, not just survive…but it’s been survival mode for a very long time this year. I’m exhausted.
Once my head cleared a little, I started thinking about how the world will be indelibly changed by this. I don’t think we can shove a global, collective year and a half plus into our memory oubliette, never to think on it again.
As I waited for curbside delivery of my online skincare order from Ulta, I thought about how people and business have adapted. And more notably perhaps, the fate of those who embraced adaptation and those who ignored it, fought it or simply gave up. And that made me think about resiliency.
Resiliency is about being able to adapt well and bounce back quickly in times of stress.
There’s a great article at Positive Psychology that delves into resilience, what it means and how to foster it.
A handful of the traits include:
- Viewing change as a challenge or opportunity
- Recognition of limits to control
- Engaging the support of others
- Realistic sense of control/having choices
- Sense of humor
- Action-oriented approach
- Patience
- Tolerance of negative affect
- Adaptability to change
To adapt, we have to be able to frame the situation into a controllable, manageable, definable “thing” so you can clearly identify options and actions to execute those options. At work, on an almost daily basis, it means letting go of how we used to do things and finding new (and even better!) ways to accomplish tasks. I know this may sound very clinical of me, but most of this hits my work persona more than the personal side of my life.
It’s worth noting that I feel very confident in my ability to be resilient professionally but I often forget to apply those same lessons/skills to my personal life. Things to ponder…
It looks like we are going to all need to draw on (or improve) our resiliency reserves for the coming months. I challenge us all to see the silver lining, the positive change, the opportunities these historic times present us.
Our own resiliency and the resiliency of those around us (people, business, economy) will determine how we emerge from this very interesting and impactful year. For people who simply cannot see the opportunity or feel paralyzed by the enormity of the impact of this pandemic, look at number three. Engage the support of others. Ask for help.
Will we thrive? Will we survive? Will we perish?
I hope the answer is “thrive” for everyone.
Have a wonderful holiday season everyone!
