Tuesday 27 February 2007

A Recipe for Resilience

As the dreary winter weather continues to present us with gray skies and sloppy weather, we must remind ourselves to remain positive. Several years ago, I scribbled some brief notes while listening to a presentation by Dick O'Brien about resilience. Although not originated by him, I would like to borrow several points from his presentation.
Lists are pervasive in our every day life and for many of us contribute to the structure of our days, weeks and months. Hopefully this neat list of ten will help.
Some points to ponder on a slushy day ...
1. It just is.
2. This too shall pass.
3. "Be the change you want to see in the world." Ghandi
4. Write the bad things that happen to you in sand; write the good things in mortar.
5. You can only become better or bitter.
6. Life will never change to make you happy.
7. Every thought you have is hardwired to the rest of your body.
8. Always drink upstream from the herd. (I am not sure of the context of this one but it sounds good)
9. Stress is caused by the thoughts you have of the events in your life.
... and lastly
10. In life you are allowed far more than three swings at the ball. The only thing that matters is how many times you are willing to get up to bat.

1 comment:

Jane said...

I am always looking for words of inspiration, or something to say to my student who says "why?" to everything I say about 800 times a day. Now I have a new comeback - "It just is!"