Unleash Your Potential #6 - Resilience

Douglas: Welcome to the Unleash Your Potential Blog, what question can I answer for you today?

MotivateMate: What can I do to build resilience in the face of challenges? 

Douglas: I love the way you asked this question. So often, I hear people talk about trying to eliminate challenges from their lives. This is unrealistic. We are all going to face challenges. In my opinion, those moments of resistance are where we find the greatest growth opportunities. If we never face difficulty, then I think we limit ourselves.

Your question does not seek to avoid challenges, but to embrace them and find ways to remain strong through them. For my money, this is the best approach. Look at life’s road blocks as a way to build up your resilience, so that when you face the next one (and you will!) you are better prepared.

Let’s dig into your question. I am a big fan of cop/law shows. Can’t get enough. NCIS, Law and Order, Boston Legal, CSI, Criminal Minds, I love them all. In many of these shows, when the “bad guy” is particularly tough, they call in the S.W.A.T. team. For those who may not be aware, this stands for Special Weapons and Tactics Team. When the regular tools are not getting the job done, we call in these specialists to add to our arsenal. Similarly, when you are having trouble developing resiliency in any challenge, I encourage you to call on your S.W.A.T. team.

Now, I don’t want you to have a battalion of armed police officers with riot gear and such show up to help you. S.W.A.T. in this case stands for Support, Wellness, Associations, and Thinking.

• Support – Sometimes to combat a difficult challenge, you need someone who has more specialized knowledge than you. A coach, counselor, religious figure, expert, etc. might be able to help you move forward in whatever is blocking you. Don’t hesitate to bring another player onto your team.

• Wellness – Physical and emotional wellness are really important. You don’t need to run a marathon or anything extreme. Just getting out and walking a bit, or biking, or other activity that helps you to physically feel better. On the emotional side, you might try adding some mindfulness, meditative, or prayer practices to help center your emotions.

• Associations – Different from the professionals mentioned in the support category, association refers to your family, friends, and work colleagues. Who are the people that are there to cheerlead for you? This group of people may not be able to offer solutions, but they can help you to know you can handle this and that they are there for you.

• Thinking – Get your head in the right space. Analyze and clarify your goals. Take time to acknowledge that challenges happen and change can often be a good thing. Stay positive. It is hard in the face of challenges to remember that on the other side of any road block is a clear path and the knowledge that you just overcame something. Regardless of how old you are as you are reading this, you have already overcome many challenges in your life. The big lesson is that if you can overcome those difficulties, you can overcome this one too.

That’s all there is to it. As you come up against life’s tests, call on your S.W.A.T. team to come in and bolster your resolve and help you conquer those challenges.

I hope my answer sheds some light on your question. If you want to dig into this concept further, I encourage you to reach out and set up a conversation. In the meantime, check back tomorrow for the next question in the Unleash Your Potential Series!

Be Well!

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