How elastic are you?
I’m going to be talking a lot about mindset resilience so I’m taking the opportunity early on in my newsletter series to help define what it is exactly we are talking about.
There’s no strict definition and you’ll find people or schools of thought referring to mindset resilience in different ways, albeit, with some commonality.
This is my version. And I’ve found it easy to think about resilience like an elastic band! I’m a visual person, so this works for me, but you do you.
So here’s my self-assessing elastic band of resilience:
- Strength: The resilience of my mindset determines how well I can navigate various potential triggers. Consider the robustness of my metaphorical elastic band – can it endure the strain of multiple and intricate triggers, or does it snap under pressure?
- Bounce-back: Another aspect to ponder is the speed at which I can recover from being triggered. Do I remain down after the flick of my imaginary elastic band (i.e., the trigger), or do I promptly rise again? And how swiftly does this rebound occur?
- Emotional response: Similar to the sting of being flicked by an elastic band, triggers can be painful, regardless of their size, frequency, or patterns. However, our control lies in how we allow that pain to impact us and how we choose to respond. Am I in command of my emotions, or am I overwhelmed and unable to manage my reactions?
- Learning capacity: Rather than persistently subjecting myself to the same metaphorical flicks, do I take responsibility, or do I lay blame on the elastic band, attributing all mishaps to external factors? Recognizing mistakes, taking ownership, and deriving lessons pave the way for personal growth and progress.
- Adaptability: Perhaps it’s time to switch my elastic band. Given the inevitability of change, the flicks or triggers—represented by challenges, issues, and pain—will manifest in different forms. Am I prepared and open to adapting to a new environment as these changes unfold?
Understanding how elastic your mindset truly is will support you to build resilience in the long term.
I underestimated how much courage I would need to hold the mirror up, to look deep within myself and ask myself: How resilient am I?
(or how resilient do I think I am?)
Pull on your courage to hold the mirror up.
What do you see?
What do you feel?
If you were honestly rating yourself in those 5 areas above, how would you score? With a simple rating of 1-3, 1 = not often, 2 = some of the time, 3 = often
So, how elastic are you???
The first step to mindset resilience begins with capturing a freeze frame of your current state. Reality is our friend. Without establishing a baseline for your resilience and identifying specific areas in your life, such as triggers, that require your attention – life becomes more and more challenging.
Getting a promotion, engaging in public speaking, transitioning job roles may seem tied to skills or event-based outcomes, but in reality, it’s more profound. Trust me when I say, it starts with your mindset empowering you to courageously take the necessary steps to make aspirational change happen.
If you need more help with your resilience, I can support you to build a strong and elastic mindset.
Who could you be if you were more elastic?
