On Resilience

12/30/24 - Aremorph

Resilience

I've been sick all week since Christmas, and in my time away from screens, I have picked up a book from the Harvard Business Review. "On Managing Yourself" from the HBR 10 Must Reads series. One chapter in particular resonated with me given these past years have been anything but smooth sailing. The chapter denotes how to maintain resilience in the face of turbulence, and as we enter the new year of 2025, there is so much promised uncertainty and turbulence, that the ability to stay steadfast no matter the conditions will no doubt pay dividends. 

"Resilience is something you realize you have after the fact." 

Funny isn't it? Throughout the storm we are usually too preoccupied with staying afloat when the storms pass we forget all the strength we exuded throughout. The essence of resilience is that it is not a premeditated trait but rather a skill forged and tempered in the fire of adversity, something life will promise to deliver. What separates people boils down to three key characteristics as introduced in this chapter.

1. Acceptance of harsh realities

2. Finding meaning in dark times

3. Improvising on the spot

When hardship strikes, human nature tends toward denial, however, the resistance to this impulse is actually beneficial. With a levelheaded rational mind, we are more able to assess the situation, acknowledge challenges, and prepare to confront them with a plan. Take James Stockdale for example: he was a U.S. Navy officer who survived years of brutal imprisonment and torture during the Vietnam War. Stockdale famously observed that prisoners who failed to make it out of the camps were optimistic about escape, citing that they would be out by Christmas, then Easter, then the 4th of July. With this rat race of failed milestones leaving their hope shattered, they could not endure. Do not lead yourself astray with incomplete and inaccurate facts, only with a clear grasp of reality can you begin working to conquer the challenges.

Following, it is natural to ask "Why me?" but resilient individuals flip the script and find meaning in their struggles and suffering, transforming it into motivation. Victor Frankl writes in "Man's Search for Meaning" that during the Holocaust, what helped him survive was the vision of something greater than himself, a reason to continue. As we are faced with various challenges, it is important to remember why we began, and what it is we are truly striving for.

Finally, resilience is not only about enduring, but rather adapting. Those who excel at "bricolage" the art of construction solutions with all and any resources at hand will derive the necessary components to help propel them forward, no matter the headwinds. 

As we all go into 2025, carrying this knowledge will help us conquer any challenge and walk out the other wise with a deeper sense of strength, courage, creativity, and purpose. 

Happy Holidays and Happy New Year!

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