Resiliency is the ability to bounce back from difficult or stressful situations, to cope with adversity and to adapt to change. It’s an essential quality that allows individuals to persevere through challenges, overcome obstacles and thrive despite setbacks. And resiliency matters in every facet of life, today and tomorrow.
Why resiliency is important
- Coping with stress: Resiliency allows individuals to cope with stress in a healthy way, which can help prevent or mitigate negative mental and physical health outcomes.
- Adapting to change: Resilient individuals are better equipped to adapt to change and navigate uncertainty, which can be particularly valuable in times of upheaval or crisis.
- Achieving goals: Resilience can help individuals stay focused on their goals, even in the face of setbacks or obstacles.
- Building relationships: Resilient individuals are better able to maintain positive relationships, even in challenging circumstances.
- Improving well-being: By promoting positive coping mechanisms and an optimistic outlook, resiliency can improve overall well-being and quality of life.
Failure is a lack of success or an unsuccessful outcome. It can refer to a wide range of situations, including personal or professional setbacks, unsuccessful endeavours or missed opportunities. While failure can be difficult to accept, it can also be a valuable learning experience and springboard to future success.
Why learning from failure is important
- Growth and development: Failure can provide valuable opportunities for growth and development, allowing individuals to identify areas for improvement and learn from mistakes.
- Innovation: Many successful inventions or discoveries have resulted from trial and error, with failure serving as a valuable source of information and inspiration.
- Resilience: Learning from failure can also help individuals build resilience and perseverance, allowing them to bounce back from setbacks and continue pursuing their goals.
- Adaptability: Failure can also prompt individuals to reassess their goals and adjust their strategies, helping them become more adaptable and flexible in the face of change.
- Personal satisfaction: Learning from failure can provide a sense of personal satisfaction and pride in having overcome challenges and grown as a result.
Part One
- What does it mean to be resilient? What skills are associated with being resilient?
- Think back to a difficult time in your past. How did you handle it? Would you have handled it differently now given what you’ve learned since?
- Pretend you were giving advice to a friend that was going through a tough situation similar to what you experienced/are experiencing. Write a short letter of advice.
- Think back to a few of the podcasts you have listened to during this course. Note different examples of resiliency in action.
Part Two
- Practice several relaxation techniques featured in the infographic on the right. Try to find a few that work best for you.
Part Three
Discuss as a class what failure can teach us, if failure is now over-hyped and what tools exist to help overcome failure in order to find future success.
Resources:
The Surprising Benefits Of Failure
7 Remarkable Benefits Of Failure
We Need to Stop Glorifying Failure. Here’s What to Do Instead
Why We Should Stop Glorifying Failure
