Resiliency

September 9, 2005

For success, happiness, a generally robust life, resilience (especially as described by Martin Seligman) is foundational.

The always-rich Eide Neurolearning Blog briefly reviews a book, It Takes a Parent, and identifies the key neural fact:

Resilient college students were better at 'letting go' of negative images than their non-resilient counterparts. When viewing negative pictures, resilient students reacted the same as the non-resilient - the difference was in how they were able to stop the negative emotional reaction after it had been seen. [emphasis added]

Letting it go, moving fresh, free of the negative baggage:

• Biofeedback tells us to intentionally activate the stopping mechanism.
• The Work of Byron Katie asks, "Who and what would you be without that thought?"
• Christian tradition says to forgive.
•  Other approaches ask, "Would you rather be 'right,' or happy? Would you rather get sympathy, or be well?"

Well?

Just do it. And live. If you think it's difficult, there is aid. See above. Or ask for help. Stuff happens. Suffering is optional.

Comments

[Bob Yu]

Somehow the word, "Resilience," and its associated behaviour of letting go reminds me of great companies that survived absolutely crushing, turbulent business climate. They did not change or do different things to survive. They just persevered.

According to Jim Collins' latest ongoing research, Southwest Airline copied another airline's strategy and values exactly, yet the other airline has disappeared into the annals of business history when it tried to change its strategy. Southwest Airline keeps on ticking to greater heights in the sky.

This is quite contrarian to the current accepted wisdom of change or die. Somehow the word "Resilience" seems to capture that spirit of plugging on.

[Mark Daniels]

Nice post.

[dilys]

Nice to have you here, Bob and Mark.

Bob, in light of this post, I'd like to know the narrative details of how SWAir "gets over" setbacks. Cathartic meetings? Memos? Decisive problem-solving? Cultivation of a positive and resilient workforce?

How does an institution do the equivalence of "forgive," or the Four-Question Inquiry?

Any ideas?

[Bob Yu]

I paid $10 ($13 CAD) for 5 min of reading - I ordered the transcript of the Charlie Rose where Jim Collins have appeared. Best $10 I ever spent.

I will forward you the transcript. The transcript's best point is summarized in the following URL.

http://boards.charlierose.com/board/topic.asp?ti=14086

Essentially Collins is still in the middle of the research so we have to wait a couple more years to find out the final answer.

But the point that he makes - how the most agile, and adaptive companies did not survive against the onslaught of competition, (de)regulation and natural disasters - really struck a chord within me.

The following article (6 myths of computer security) makes a similar interesting point, which is that the myth of "Action is better than inaction," is really terrible for the computer security in general.

http://www.ranum.com/security/computer_security/editorials/dumb/

There is something about just enduring that seems really counter-intuitive against external pressure to adapt.