Resilience in a Can? Priceless!

Wouldn’t it be great if we could buy Resilience in a Can - - the same way we buy red beans and tuna fish? The cans would fly off the shelf. Why? Because resilience is the amazing, wonderful and ever-so-useful ability to bounce back and cope with adversity, trauma and loss. It does not eradicate uncertainty, worry, sadness, anger, pain, exasperation, warts, rain on wedding days or gas explosions.  Resilience simply stops them from stopping you.  And, we build it through our determination, self-worth and kindness, mental resources which will never be found in a can. Too bad, yes.  But, here are five things you can do now to be more resilient tomorrow: 1) know what activities bring you a sense a calm, like taking a walk, playing your banjo or planting flowers and resort to them like you would to a refuge in a rainstorm;  (2) consider the major areas in your life, such as your job, your fitness or your relationship to a family member and look for one simple and realistic thing you could do that would cause them to improve just a little bit; (3) learn something new each day – learning is the “superpower of superpowers” and helps us shape who and how we want to be; (4) let your “inner nurturer” shine a bit more each day and your “inner critic” take a back seat for a week; (5) if you’re holding a grudge or have ongoing negative attitudes about someone or something, ask what it’s doing for you. If it does nothing but keep you happily enraged or aloof, let it go.  If becoming more resilient at work is important to you but you need some motivation to do just one of these five things, hire a career coach and it will get a whole lot easier.  Just, not as perfect as Resilience in a Can! Want to read more, check Rick Hanson’s book Resilient: How to Grow an Unshakable Core of Calm, Strength, and Happiness.