Resilience is built, not by pleasant occurrences, but rather by discomforting and painful events. It’s easy to bail out and avoid moving forward when it becomes difficult to do so. A resilient person tolerates the discomfort for a greater purpose and wills himself/herself through less than ideal situations. This does not mean staying in conditions that cause undue pain or danger, or that are misaligned with one’s passion or purpose. Resilient people have faith in themselves that they can endure because they are capable and strong enough to overcome challenging situations.
At a fire scene, why would we run into the fire? With temperatures in most house fires burning as hot as 1100 degrees on the ceiling and 600 degrees where we are standing, the desire to bailout would be strong. Yet, a resiliency is built up through our training in this austere environment, coupled with a firm belief in our purpose, which gives us the desire to persevere. Most people couldn’t imagine even choosing to stay close to the conditions of a fire, yet the resiliency that is built in a firefighter from his experience and difficulty while on the job overcomes all.
Using the difficulties, the pain, the disappointments and mistakes to grow stronger and more resilient is necessary for moving forward toward our purpose. Following our passion demands a resilient and positive outlook minus fear because we have learned through experience that we can prevail over adversity. We are empowered through believing in ourselves and by our commitment to our purpose. We are ready to run into the fire.
