Being resilient is one of the soft skills that is highly appreciated and sought after at work and frankly at home too. So, what is this buzz all about? What does it mean to be resilient and how can you obtain resilience?

Let’s find out!

The term resilience originates from material physics where it describes the attribute of a material to bounce back into its original shape after pressure is applied to it. Think about a rubber ball being slammed on a surface – the moment it hits the surface, the round surface becomes distorted then it bounces off the ground and regains its round form.

Now, how to apply it as a human? You can think of resilience as the ability to manage adverse events without losing your footing. Quite a helpful skill to navigate today’s treacherous terrain where stress is lurking around every corner of life and trying to distract you or even keep you down. How you react to mental stress is directly linked to your level of resilience. Naturally, you have some level of resilience to start with and can improve it throughout your life. I personally love tales and stories and have the perfect one for you to demonstrate how resilience can show, so let’s dive into the story:

Once upon a time, a farmer’s donkey fell into a well. The animal cried out for hours so that the farmer would help him. The farmer was stressed, could he save the animal? Was there a way? Does he have the resources? Finally, he decided that his donkey was old, his life span might not be that long anymore, and the well needed to be covered up anyway; he just couldn’t save the donkey, it just wouldn’t be worth it to try.

He invited all his neighbors to come over and help him fill up the well and bury the donkey in the process. Everyone brought a shovel and began to shovel dirt into the well. When the donkey realized what was happening, he cried horribly. He didn’t want to die. Then, to everyone’s amazement, he quieted down.

A few shovel loads later, the farmer finally looked into the well, expecting the animal to be buried. He was astonished at what he saw. With each shovel of dirt that hit his back, the donkey was doing something amazing. He would shake it off and take a step up.

As the farmer’s neighbors continued to shovel dirt on top of the animal, he would shake it off and take a step up. Pretty soon, everyone was amazed as the donkey stepped up over the edge of the well and happily trotted off!

So, stop right here and think about the story, where do you see the resilience skill coming through? The farmer and the donkey both show different levels of resilience. Can you see them?

The Moral of the story is: life is going to shovel dirt on you one way or another. The trick is to shake it off and use it as a stepping stone.

For me, this is the most important message and helps you improve your mindset – there is no problem that can keep you down if you don’t let it. It’s all about self-efficacy. You can do it, you have the power and the means to make it out of everything, one way or another. This is directly linked to viewing crises as solvable problems. Trust yourself and face your challenges head-on and, if needed, get yourself some support. As human beings we thrive with our social connections and our networks can help us a lot to overcome stressful situations and bounce back.

With Coaching, you can get assistance in facing your crises and managing them as well as building up your resilience.