Have you ever fallen off your bike?

Resilient people know how to change their circumstances and reflect on their failures and success to move forward.

everyone is going to fall

That is a fact. The other day during dinner, my family and I started to share something we were successful with and something we failed during the day. This question is a typical dinner fodder for our family. As we were sharing, we started to reminisce about both of my sons learning how to ride their bikes.

We giggled about how they both refused to give up and at how quickly they were able to push through their failures and conquer the new skill. They both fell a lot while they were learning, but they used a slightly different technique to get through the frustration.

My eldest son took stock of the circumstances around him. He quickly realized that riding on the sidewalk made him nervous because it did not feel like enough space. So, we moved to the alleyway in the back of the house, where there was a natural dip in the middle of the street that helped him stay in a relatively straight line but still gave him some room to wiggle around. After practicing in that space, he was up and riding in no time.

My youngest son took a different approach. He got on the bike, and after each turn, he thought of something that he might do differently or something that he did well and could replicate. He gave himself real-time feedback, incorporated it into his practicing, and soon he was off and riding like a pro too. I loved how he would give him some positive motivation. He would say, “That was pretty good. I am so close!”

your bike riding story

We can all relate to a story because we have all had similar experiences. Maybe it was riding a bike, or it was learning something that was complicated in our job. We have all had something where we had to fail repeatedly, but eventually, we were successful at it.

two techniques to be resilient

To be resilient, we have to practice techniques that make us resilient. Using the lessons that I just shared from my boys, I challenge you to do one of the following things:

Look at a time when you were resilient and try to evaluate what your environment was like at that time. What are the things that you can control that help you be more resilient? This could be chanting who is around you and where you try new things out. OR
Borrow my youngest son’s trick and evaluate what you are doing well or what you struggle with when a challenge presents itself. Just naming what is getting in the way might help you get past it quicker. But also calling out what propels you, so that you can add more of that into your practices is a great practice.

We all know what it is like to fail. But we also all know what it is like to persevere and be resilient. Part of becoming a resilient person is acknowledging that struggle and recognizing what tools we need to maintain our resilience.

Be resilient and Hustle with Purpose