Resilience, for Work, For Mental Health, For Life.

The thing about this team that impresses me the most is its resiliency.

12 years ago I was attending my first R&D general meeting. On the way out I asked a coworker, “Is it just me or does the VP really like the sound of his own voice?”

Said coworker was noncommittal in response, but he had only been there 6 months, and is a good bit younger than I. Less inclined to speak up, I guess.

The meeting was part buzzword bingo, part buttering up of overworked and underpaid employees and part 90 minutes said VP droning on, and On and ON, repeating himself time and again. Hence my question about his love for the sound of his own voice.

One of the buzzwords he repeated was “resiliency,” the ability of the team to overcome obstacles, expected and unexpected. Why he couldn’t use the word “resilience” remains a mystery, but there are people who love to use fancier sounding words, when simpler ones will do.

Don’t do that. Do cultivate resilience.

As I transition into the third act, I am reminded of the need to be resilient.

My children are not yet grown, so I need to deal with child rearing.

Though my career is winding down, I’m not financially or psychologically prepared to retire. I need to prepare a second career while I’m still stuck in the first.

I’m dealing with severe mental health problems. Though I’ve got them under control, the smallest shock can, and has, sent me into a spiral.

The grey mist of depression is always close, and one of the things I need to keep it at bay is…resilience.