Oh ya…you know what I am going to say….can I get a HELL YEAH up in here???  You simply must watch Mayoon Zayid do her thing in this TED talk.  Wanna talk about resiliency?  She not only embodies it but she could package it, make it a spray, a cologne, a perfume, put it on the backside of some sweatpants, what have you.  She is what resiliency is all about.  She is so resilient she is like a slinky.  I found myself laughing hysterically and then towards the end becoming tearful. They weren’t not sympathy tears but the kind that can only come from a heart filled with love.  She is the kind of role model that moves me to weep in the way that you do when you feel that someone REALLY gets IT on a deep level.  Dis-abled, I can’t say that word applies to her very much.  Sure she has a disability, we can’t take that away from her, but she is also abled in a way that most of us are not.  She has spunk, motivation, drive, enthusiasm and zest. She is what we began discussing in our last chat Thriving not Surviving.  She is resilient in a way that not only stands out but she appears to be the kind of person that inspires people to want more.  That’s my kind of gal.  As I continue on in my research on resiliency and I begin to discuss it more with others I can begin to feel myself vibrating with energy.  Lately it has begun to feel like synchronicity is in the air.  Signs from the Universe are all over telling me that change is happening and a rebirth/new beginning is underway. Heck, I even found a bat, yes a bat, in my bathroom.  You do not know this but I live on the third floor, in a city apartment and it is the winter. My landlord has not seen a bat in the 46 years they have owned the house.  Bats are a sign of transformation, rebirth and new beginnings.  I am just saying, things are beginning to get a little weird up in here!  It all has me excited, energized, creative and on the other hand exhausted and anxious.  Change can be exciting but mostly it’s just different.  Different can be good but it’s still different. Creativity is flowing fast and furious so we shall keep on keeping on….

This is what I know for me, embracing the process of change has helped me stay vibrant.  I remember back when, back when things were very known (or at least I thought so) and the same, things were also very miserable.  All the energy I was putting back then into keeping things together would have been better spent allowing them to fall apart.  Once I began to shift my energy from keeping the miserable status quo into building a healthier and happier life for myself, my feelings of hope and optimism went through the roof.  In beginning my research on resiliency, I came across this article written by Jessie Sholl http://experiencelife.com/article/the-5-best-ways-to-build-resiliency/.  It provides a quick overview of five key points that build resiliency.  Sholl mentions that increasing feelings of positivity is key in bolstering that spunk that Zayid shows us in the video above.  Well this makes sense, right?  Not like much is coming our way when we are focused on what is not going well.  I’ve tried that, many times, still do at times, believe me it doesn’t work!  Resilient people tend to see the silver lining in the dark damp cloud. (or snowy cloud if you live in New England:)  Optimism allows us to foster hope for the future and increases our ability to draw towards us what we most desire.  We also need to stay teachable and be open to learning.  As I mentioned in our previous chat, we need to allow new information to get in if we are to grow.  We need to stay willing to learn and keep what Sholl calls “question thinking.”  A curious thinker is far more resilient than one that stays rigid in their thinking and opinions.  Open your heart to sharing and caring for others.  Being of service towards your community and loved ones increased feelings of self worth and purpose.  It increased the release of oxytoxin, the bonding hormone, thereby making us feel a part of something larger than ourselves and connected to others.  Self care is of the utmost importance when it comes to resilience.  Getting regular exercise, eating healthy, spending time in nature, doing things that bring you joy all help us bounce back from the bumps in the road of life.  Finally laughter is the best medicine of all.  I have to say it is my medicine of choice.  I feel blessed to have the sense of humor I do because it has above all be the number one thing in my life that has gotten me through all the bumps, bruises and set backs in my life.  If I didn’t have the ability to readily laugh at myself and life, I would truly be lost.

So there you have it.  More food for thought on the road to building a more resilient you.  When you look at the above factors that help bolster resiliency, how many do you regularly include in your daily life?  Are there areas that you could bolster to increase your ability to be resilient?  In the words, of Mayoon Zayid, IF I CAN CAN, YOU CAN CAN.  So go ahead, can can your way to a happier, healthier and more resilient you today!

Cheers!