We're under siege in the Northeast! Snow, snow, ice, and more snow in the forecast for later this week. Thankfully the majority of my workload this week has been behind the laptop. Whew! But none of it has involved getting into my car to drive or a plane to fly. My only disappointment is that the writer's workshop planned for my son's 4th grade class has been postponed three times since last week. Hopefully I'll get in there before the week is through.
There is no better way to build up resilience than to spend a January in New England. Best laid plans are tested; when it comes to weather mother nature can throw many a pop quiz during the winter months. The same often happens in life. We start out with the best intentions but soon find ourselves slipping and sliding off course. We know where we want to go, the direction we want to head in - but some "bad weather" comes our way and we huddle ourselves away, depressed and defeated.
Managing through the volatile conditions that transitions often bring - whether in work cultures or in our personal and professional lives - takes resilience. According to Webster's New World Dictionary, that is our ability to spring back and recover our strength and spirits quickly. It's the ability to run smack into a roadblock and figure out an alternate route that may take longer but keeps you on track. It's the flexibility to change course when needed and find new opportunity on a different path. It's building a supportive network that will help keep the pace when you start to slow down.
Resilience is what sets apart those who continuously evolve to their next levels of success versus those who wait endlessly for it to get easy. It never really does get easy. But the rewards, should you persevere, are usually worth it.
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