Aged only 15, Jacinda went to learn and live in Japan. At this time, she could not speak Japanese, was away from her friends and family and was in a completely different place with customs different from her home in Australia. Although this was scary at first, it taught Jacinda a lot about resilience, and how the opportunities we are faced with can help us to grow.
So, What Is Resilience?
You might have an idea of what being resilient means to you, or perhaps there are times in your life you have had to be resilient without even realising.
Resilience is the ability to recover from the setbacks we are faced with and the ability to keep going in the face of adversity. It also means our ability to adapt well to change.
Resilience is not something you are born with, it works more like a muscle: the more you practice using it, the stronger it will get. Because of this, resilience is one of the key things we can use to predict our future success.
How Can I Become Resilient?
There are three key areas to strengthen your resilience, these are:
- Continue to challenge yourself. Challenge yourself on the things you think you can and can’t do and remember to take risks. When you take risks, you open yourself up to so many opportunities and realise how strong you really are. Remember, the courage to do something brave is more important than the outcome.
- Learn how to be optimistic. Remember that the way you react to your circumstances is in your control. Figure out what it is that you can and cannot control, and only focus on what you can, as it will enlarge your circle of influence (the things in your life you have power over).
- Calm the feelings of stress and anxiety. It can be tough to reduce these feelings, but doing so will help you develop a growth mindset. This is where you view every opportunity and set back is an opportunity to grow. Reframing your thinking is important, instead of saying “Why do bad things always happen to me?” instead say “This happens to lots of people, it can be sorted out”.
A massive thank you to Jacinda from G-Research for joining us and talking to the Connect Stream all about resilience.
