11:11 Waves Blog 60: Resilience

Weekly ideas to stimulate reflection, inspire new possibilities and encourage new ways of doing and being.

1. Test the water

This week’s word is: Resilience

Resilience is the ability to successfully adapt to difficult or challenging life experiences, especially through mental, emotional, and behavioral flexibility and adjustment to external and internal demands. The term resilience was introduced into the English language in the early 17th Century from the Latin verb resilire (re = back + salire = to jump, leap), meaning to rebound or spring back.

What is your definition of resilience and how do you relate to it? Discuss the question here.

2. Experience the initial wave

To broaden your perspective, take few minutes to read the following thoughts and notice what comes up for you.

I.

“What doesn't kill you makes you stronger”. Friedrich Nietzsche and Kelly Clarkson

II.

“Rock bottom became the solid foundation in which I rebuilt my life.” J.K. Rowling

III.

In 2022 Gallup conducted a study where they asked people to name the best and the worst events of their lives. The research concluded that there was an 80% correlation between the two events. In most cases, the worst events of our lives often lead to the best, if we stay hopeful and keep moving forward.

3. Dive deep

To deepen your awareness and spark new discoveries, this week I invite you to think about a time when you were able to overcome or spring back from a big setback or challenge in your life:

• What specific actions or strategies did you use to overcome this setback?

• What key lessons did you learn from this experience?

• What personal strengths did you draw upon?

• How has overcoming this setback prepared you for facing future challenges?

4. Ride your radiant wave

According to research from Conner and Davidson (2003), resilient people have certain characteristics in common, including faith, hope, optimism, self-efficacy, sense of humour, adaptability etc. The most important characteristic identified through this research is the ability to be flexible.

This week I invite you to build your resilience muscles by practicing flexibility and following these three steps:

1. First, ask yourself: What is happening to me and what can I do? 

2. Second, take stock of your strengths and tools in your toolbox and decide how you will be using them and what you will be doing.

3. Third, monitor how it’s going. If it’s not working, change your approach or try something else. That’s flexibility and resilience.