Resilience

"The capacity to recover quickly from difficulties; toughness"

This week I'd like to talk about resilience which seems to be THE buzz word at the moment.  Everyone talks about it, whether it's in the boardroom, relating to sport or life in general.  The above definition is just one of a few that I found but this is the one that I relate to the most when I hear the word 'resilience'.

The word resilience means different things for different people.  In fact, I'm going to give you three different scenarios of how I've demonstrated resilience this week.

In my other job as a PA, you need to develop a skin thicker than an elephant's to cope with some days.  95% of the time it's extremely rewarding and satisfying; you're making someone's life easier and they are very appreciative of your efforts.  For the other 5% you are public enemy no.1 with everyone convinced you are trying your damn hardest to make life difficult for them and nothing you do seems to be good enough.  These are the days you need to be resilient and just keep picking yourself up and carrying because you know it's not personal, you know it's because the people you are trying to help are under tremendous stress and pressure.  Thankfully, I love my job so when these days come along, I dig deep, smile ..... and carry on!!!

My next example is a light hearted look at resilience.  The other night I went out for 'a bite to eat and a few drinks'.  Several large glasses of wine later, oh yeah and the tequila shots and some other shots (don't know what they were but they tasted like coffee - yum!) I was slightly worse for wear.  Oh dear, my first lot of fitness clients were at 6.45 am the next morning, it was a 35 mins drive to get there, meaning I had to set off just after 6.00 am.  Let's just say that it took every ounce of resilience to scrap myself out of bed and make it in time.  Luckily, I've known these two particular clients for a long time and we've become good friends so when I arrived and got out of the car, after their initial cries of "jeez, what happened to you", they dissolved into fits of laughter for the remainder of the session.

The third scenario of resilience happened to me this morning.  I knew I had to do an 18km run as part of my half marathon training and it was raining / hailstones / snowing outside and I wasn't feeling 100% to be honest (not still the after effects of the other night, honest).  However, I put my gear on and headed out the door.  The fresh air made me feel better and after a few kms I was feeling quite good.  Part of the route took me through the lovely parkland of Wentworth Castle and I was rewarded with views such as the one below.

The only issue was that I'd worn my road trainers knowing that most of the route would be, well, on the road but this part of the route was across grass, uneven terrain and it was quite muddy.  As I started my final descent back down to the road I became what can only be described as 'a little bit cocky'.  Prince was singing "Let's go crazy" in my ears and quite honestly that's what I did.  Next thing I heard someone screaming "waarrrrgghhh, *&%!".  Oh, that would be me then.  I lay in the mud for a few moments doing a quick body scan, was everything still intact?  Yup, I think so .... apart from my pride and a bruised backside.  I took a deep breath, got up and ran the final 6 km back home.

I think this week I've demonstrated resilience at its very finest!!

So, now it's over to you because in order to #makeithappenmarch you need to be resilient in order to meet those goals you've set yourself.  Think back to a time you have demonstrated resilience, now draw on that experience the next time you come up against a setback.  Believe in yourself, believe you can do it ... because you can.