Resilience
Resilience is the capacity
TO SEEK
To look for other paths
when life looks bleak
Resilience is a powerful capacity for people to hang in there when the going gets tough and to bounce back when given the opportunity to do so.It requires us to to find the “wiggle room” in ourselves to move between:
(1) our wish/demand to learn/succeed
and
(2) our disappointments in failure
Resilience is the capacity to bounce back. In individuals with LD it’s a powerful tool. When people hit the chasm, shame is the outcome. People can withdraw and give up. (Some people take solace in substance abuse to ease the emotional pain.) Others keep trying. In the process of not giving up, people learn to keep hope alive because eventually new opportunities for learning become possible. Resilience includes the following components:
Perseverance: For some, resilience is the capacity to persevere, to hang in there when the going gets tough, no matter how much shame or difficulty is experienced. Activity is the antidote to shame and the determination to achieve or succeed propels people to keep trying.
Flexibility: Resilience is also the capacity to try something new. For example, some people know when to quit and put one’s effort elsewhere. Entrepreneurs like Charles Schwab and other people who have successfully started their own business use their strengths and hire others to deal with their weakness. Others keep trying new approaches to old problems.
Acceptance: One might say that resilience is the capacity to deal with shame. Humor, anger, and determination are great shame fighter. Instead of withdrawing, people eventually accept their limitations which then encourages them to figure out how to get around their disabilities. Acceptance, humor, determination, and the capacity to try something new is a hallmark of resilience and allows people to eventually access their potential.
