Mastering The Art of Resilience

The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company…a church….a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past…we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the onestring we have, and that is our attitude…I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it. And so it is with you…we are in charge of our attitudes.”  

― Charles R. Swindoll

I believe this is one of the most powerful quotes I’ve ever come across. Believing in the power of attitude, you strive to learn about things that sharpen your axe, give you wisdom, and strengthen your mind. 

I had a hard time growing up with my mother. Simply because she doesn’t understand me. One of the worst feelings in the world in my opinion is when the person you love the most doesn’t understand you. Fortunately I have a very cool, open-minded, supportive, very understanding Dad who helped me develop my personal growth and influence my perspective of the world. Whenever I had a fight with my mom, I’d turn around to him as he understands me.

The words of advice he gave me are still with me to this day. He said…

Your mom has been living with that attitude for decades. It’s almost impossible for her change. You have only been around for 10+ years. You still have a long way to go. What you can do now is to take control of your attitude. Take this opportunity to train your mind, or test your mind, to see how far you can compete with youself. Be patient. Be calm. Your mind has muscles. The more you train it, the stronger it becomes, and the easier it becomes.

- Dad

I simply had no choice but to practice the art of resilience, staying calm, being patient, and understanding when dealing with fiery people and inevitable difficult circumstances in life. One after another. From dealing with hot-tempered individuals, to all sorts of annoying, irritating beings and frustrating situations, I see it as an opportunity to train my mind.

Surprisingly, the result is quite rewarding - as if you’ve been able to lose 20 kg, quit smoking, or whatever vice you may have!!!

It’s the same trick it does to the mind. 

Self-control might sound like an ugly word. But being able to control yourself, afterwards you feel highly rewarded.

• Your self-esteem increases.
• Your confidence rises up,
• Your fear starts disappearing.
• Your comfort zone expands in the way that you are now more confident that you can handle any tough tasks coming at you.

Give it a go today.
Just start from little things in life that make you roll your eyes. 
One mental and emotional challenge a day.

• Bad weather? Chill.
• Crying babies on the plane? Relax.
• Hot-tempered boss? Be calm and collected.
• Co-workers stressing out? Be resilient.
• Computer stuffing up? Be patient.
• Stuck in traffic? Be calm.
• Abusive boyfriend? Dramatic girlfriend? Be as cool as ice that stops the fire.

See how you feel in a week’s time.
Tell me then if you don’t feel empowered and powerful.

When you feel like you can control your mind, you’ll find like the world is your oyster.

This is just the beginning…