“In order to succeed, people need a sense of self-efficacy, to struggle together with resilience to meet the inevitable obstacles and inequities of life.” ~Albert Bandura
Many people throughout the world are going through trying times. As of this writing, the people of the Philippines are being hit by the largest typhoon ever to make landfall. In fact, it’s the largest of it’s kind (typhoons, hurricanes, cyclones) to make landfall, with sustained winds of 195 miles per hour and gusts up to 230 miles per hour (300 KPH).
Like many other natural disasters, the survivors will be dealing with a heavy devastation. Hurricane Katrina had winds of 125 miles per hour when it hit. The destruction was massive and the area is still recovering from it.
There are those people who have the ability to recover and even surpass where they were before, while others will fall deeper into depression and may never come out. The ones that stay down, tend to lose hope and wallow in a pessimistic attitude for long periods of time. I’ve seen this with many, even when what they lost would be considered quite small in comparison.
What make the difference between someone who loses their limbs and most everything else, yet will come out stronger than ever and those that lose little and get worse? It’s the resilience factor. I’ve posted about resilience in the past. And it’s something I believe needs to be revisited.
Resilience starts in one’s mind. It’s how you perceive circumstances that make the difference on whether you come out of it stronger or weaker. Some even refer to this as being mentally tough. It’s your ability to bounce back from challenges or adversity. Here are three things you should do that will help you develop a resilient mindset…
- Focus on what you can do in a particular situation. When we realize that we can only control so much, then we become stronger. When mistakes happen, you can either look at them as a failure or as feedback.
- Maintain a positive mindset, even in the worst of situations. I’m not talking about a Pollyanna mindset either. It’s more of one that incorporate positive action. Have the mindset of there’s always a way. Stop and ask yourself, “What resources do I now possess that can help me overcome this current challenge? And what resources can I find that will help me as well?”
- Train yourself to become more resilient in certain circumstances. When I was in the Marines, it was always about training that helped when we went into combat or otherwise. It was the same in the LAPD. It’s also a reason why I keep training myself to stay up with the latest information on dealing with disasters, self-protection and survival. I know that I can effectively deal with anything that comes up. I don’t just stop there, I have become a learner in many areas and then take action to see what works and what doesn’t for me. For natural disasters, take a class from your local fire department as a Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) member.
Each of us have the ability to become more resilient. While for some it may not be in their nature, they can still help improve their resilience by following all of what I mentioned in those three points.
Don’t procrastinate and expect others to help you. It may not happen for quite some time. Building resilience takes that kind of understanding and knowing that you can handle whatever happens. Start developing yourself now and it just may be the best investment you’ve ever made. Especially when the time comes when you’ll need it.
Cheers,
Bob Choat
America’s #1 Mind-Body Transformation Expert and author of Mind Your Own Fitness