Why is it, Arianna asks in Third World America, that some people are crushed by economic hardships such as job loss or foreclosure, while others -- like Jim Laman or Lesa Deason Crowe, both of whom Arianna profiles in her book -- are able to weather even the most trying circumstances?
Drawing on the work of Karen Reivich and Andrew Shatté, Arianna concludes that what distinguishes the Jim Lamans and Lesa Deason Crowes of the world is their inner strength and resilience:
Karen Reivich and Andrew Shatté, authors of The Resilience Factor, have identified resilience as the key to how we deal with what life brings us: "Where you fall on the resilience curve-- your natural reserves of resilience-- affects your performance in school and at work, your physical health, your mental health, and the quality of your relationships. . . . We all know resilient people. They inspire us. They seem to soar in spite of the hardship and trauma they face. . . . Resilient people understand that failures are not an end point. They do not feel shame when they don't succeed. Instead, resilient people are able to derive meaning from failure, and they use this knowledge to climb higher than they otherwise would.
"Resilient people," they continue, "have found a system-- and it is a system-- for galvanizing themselves and tackling problems thoughtfully, thoroughly, and energetically. Resilient people, like all of us, feel anxious and have doubts, but they have learned how to stop their anxiety and doubts from overwhelming them. We watch them handle threat with integrity and grace and we wonder: Could I do that?"
Arianna's fascination with the power of resilience remained after she'd finished the manuscript and it off to the printer, and so in July, she partnered with Tony Robbins to launch a section on HuffPost focused on the theme of developing inner strength in times of personal crisis. A host of HuffPost bloggers chimed in to discuss how people can fortify themselves and make it through the tough times. And indeed, Arianna writes, resilience is a quality that must be cultivated:
"Luckily, resilience, like fearlessness, is a muscle we can build up. The more we use it, the stronger it becomes, and ultimately, how we deal with adversity depends on how much we have developed this inner strength."
WATCH HuffPost's Willow Bay talk to Tony Robbins about building resilience during challenging times:
From Huffington Post published on 08-20-10 07:15 AM
