If transitions in leadership, careers, and organizations are inevitable, why do they test our resilience, causing the sturdiest among us to doubt and fear? This is true of any disruptive event, including a personal loss like my own, which, at the time, diminished my confidence, optimism, and ability to meet my goals. Being widowed young…
Read more...I’ve taken up boxing. Here I am practicing my jab. Let me be clear about something. In no way do I have any intention of fighting for real. I took up boxing for three reasons: 1) because it’s a heck of a workout and I tend to shy away from intense cardio activity2) because it challenges…
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I know what you’re thinking. Yeah, right. Who, after all, welcomes adversity? Some people are luckier than others, that’s a fact. But at one point or another, you may be felled by a challenge so crippling it hurls you to your knees. A health crisis. A personal loss. A business setback. A moment of clarity when…
Read more...Resilience means different things to different people but ultimately is about pushing past challenges. How we do that is in large part a matter of perspective. Litigation attorney Courtney Perez, a partner at Carter Arnett PLLC, had always viewed resilience as something to be endured, like “taking the punches.” For her, resilience has been all about…
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When was the last time you chose silence over chatter? Maybe an object of beauty rendered you beyond words, or a silly argument, or even just the nonstop press of life. A friend shared her own story of resilience and “enough words” during a car ride with her teenage son. From the sound of…
Read more...The other day I presented my new workshop on resilience to a group of medical residents. I was forewarned by the physician who invited me to present not to raise my hopes about the eagerness of the audience. “These guys are overworked, burned out, and probably a bit dubious about a workshop touting individual resilience when the…
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Today marks 14 years since my first husband’s death. Brett died of a medulloblastoma brain tumor, which typically affects children ages five and under. Except he was 32 when diagnosed and 39 when he died. Some anniversaries hit especially hard. This one feels that way maybe because the date nearly slipped my mind. I got…
Read more...The holidays are a tender time for many of us. We run ourselves ragged looking for the perfect gift items and trying to squeeze in every last holiday party. Night after night someone or something requires our attention. Like clockwork, we begin the month of December with ambitious plans only to lose steam mid-month. How will…
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