We all experience moments when something unexpected, disorienting and disruptive occurs.  Reflexively we think, “What in the world is going on?  This shouldn’t be happening.  I haven’t a clue what to do.”

 

These are moments requiring resilience—a particular kind of strength, like the willow that sways and bends in defiance of a strong wind.  We absorb the surprise, manage our reactions and, above all, remain true to our principles. To be resilient we don’t need to react.  We are flexible yet durable, supple yet resolute. Despite being uncertain, we remain steady and focused on our task.

 

Because there are no categories of conflicts that predictably respond to the use of predetermined interventions, we need to be flexible and resilient.  We respond to surprising, shifting and ambiguou s  situations by being pliable, yet resolute.  That’s resilience.

 

Always behave like a duck – keep calm and unruffled on the

surface but paddle like the devil underneath. Jacob Braude