To get started, consider
the following brief vignettes about endurance, persistence and resilience.
After reading through this list, choose one or two that stood out to you:
Famous
People:
Thomas Edison – Before finally
inventing the lightbulb, Thomas Edison failed over 10,000 in his efforts. When
interviewed about this, Mr. Edison stated: “I have not failed once. I have
succeeded in proving that those 10,000 ways will not work. When I have
eliminated the ways that will not work, I will find the way that will work.”
Buster Douglas – In 1990, Buster
Douglas was a 42 to 1 underdog facing Mike Tyson, the undefeated heavyweight
champion of the world, who the world had deemed to be unbeatable at that time
due to the ease of which he destroyed all of his previous 37 opponents. Despite
almost getting knocked out himself in the 8th round Douglas survived
and then later in the 10th round of the fight, Douglas slayed the
mighty giant by knocking out the previously undefeated champion Mike Tyson in
what is still considered one of the greatest upsets in boxing history. Douglas
had lost his mother less than a month before the fight, a situation which
Douglas later stated was behind his remarkable determination to win.
Walt Disney – Disney’s first
company went bankrupt and then he was nearly broke and moved to California to
try to become an actor. Disney failed at acting too and languished
unsuccessfully for 5 years with little progress until he finally come up with
Mickey Mouse, which was his eventual ticket to fame and fortune.
Stephen King’s first book was originally
rejected by 30 publishes. He has since sold over 350 million copies of his
books and still counting, to date
Sylvester Stallone was broke for years
and even at times homeless while being rejected over 1500 times by talent
scouts prior to iconic success with his first film “Rocky”
Albert Einstein reportedly could not
talk until age 4 and he failed his high school entrance exam. Einstein
attempted to be an insurance salesmen after college and failed at that too
until later going on to be one of the greatest minds in the history of the
world
Oprah Winfrey reportedly survived
years of childhood sexual abuse. She was fired from her first television job
but did not give up and now is known to be one of the most successful
television personalities of all time.
Michael Jordan is considered one of
the greatest basketball players of all time. Jordan was actually cut from his
high school basketball team so he learned to deal with failure at a young age.
In fact, in spite of all of his records and championships, Michael Jordan is
famous for saying: “I have missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I have
lost almost 300 games. On 26 occasions I have been entrusted to take the
game-winning shot, and I missed. I have failed over and over and over again in
my life. And that is why I succeed.”
Even more impressive
are the billions of people in this world today who may not be famous but have
their own remarkable story of resilience and survival…
Think
about what many people have endured (or are still enduring right now) –
Abuse
Poverty
Loss
of loved ones
Disability
Injury
Pain
Hunger
Rejection
Isolation
Homelessness
Incarceration
Injustice
Sickness
Oppression
Persecution
Mental
Illness
Addiction
Discuss: What
are some stories that you know of resilient people who endured, persevered and
survived some of these serious life struggles?
What is Your Story of
Resilience?
– As a group try to come up with an example for all three: Past, Present, and Future stories
of resilience:
Past – What is something you
have overcome, survived, and bounced back from, in your past? What is a trial
or struggle that you got through successfully because you did not give up?
Present – What is a situation
that you are fighting through now and you refuse to run away, quit or give in?
Future – Use your imagination and
come up with a story that you may be able to tell one day about your resilience
once you get there. (For example: “One day I want to be able to say: After
years of relapsing and going in and out of trouble, I finally got things
together, completed my last treatment program and got the life I finally wanted…”)
Three Basic Concepts that
Promote Resilience –
Taking
things “One Day at a Time” – Resilient people look at each day as a new
opportunity to improve on the day before. Every day the sun rises is a new
opportunity to keep trying. Resilient people don’t let fear of the future be an
excuse not to push forward and they do not let the failures and mistakes of the
past weigh them down. What can I do today? – Is the way a resilient person often
has to view things to keep going
Bend but Don’t
Break –
Resilient people may make mistakes, experience misfortune or injustice.
Resilient people may get depressed, anxious or overwhelmed at times. Resilient
people may have occasional or even frequent setbacks. Still, in spite of negative
events, feelings, and experiences that may come up, a resilient person will not
allow these things to break their spirit. Resiliency is about getting up off of
the canvas if you get knocked down (but not knocked out) by life once in a
while
Hope – The power of hope is
well documented. Holding on to hope that things can be better is at the core of
resilience. Sustaining the belief that persistence and endurance will eventually
pay off can carry a resilient person through, especially during times of
struggle
How are
you using these concepts to promote resilience in your own life?
What else
helps you to be resilient and to keep pressing forward without giving in or
giving up?
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