Tuesday 19 July 2011

Resilience

In  February 2008, the stock exchange market hit its peak just before the global economic meltdown. Apparently that was my first month at a new job where i was to be earning a salary five times more than i was earning at my previous job. The following months i invested heavily in the stock market taking advantage of its declining prices in the hope that the prices of stocks would rise again and be sell-able for huge profits. I stayed on with that company for a year and some months before the bubble burst and found myself without a job. My unemployment lasted a full 2 years and 7 months. I did not know how to respond to the jobless situation and the rejection as I applied for jobs and interviews. By the end of the first year of being unemployed, i had sold my shares in stocks and was only concerned about survival. i battled with financial and emotional issues during that period. This is one of the reasons why i am glad that i gave my life to Jesus a long time ago. He was my anchor in the storm. Somehow i was able to pull through with the help of God. 
Eventually i was restored to a dignifying employment and began a flourishing relationship. The lines began to fall into pleasant places for me. As i am writing this article, i am happily married with three lovely children. My husband has been a great advantage to my life. i have a thriving business and my ministry is blossoming. i am currently preparing a vacation trip to Spain with my husband and children. It has been goodness all the way. Our children are brilliant and they love God just like we their parents do. There is so much of my joy i can share with you probably on my next blog.
For now i want to share with you on how you can overcome setbacks by building your capacity for resilience. You need to first overcome the emotional traps of deflation and victimization which are the direct effects of the setback in order to have the energy to focus on the way forward.
Deflation: You should try to overcome the feelings of disappointment in yourself and others. Deliberately re-frame negative events in productive ways with strength and creativity through habits of good thoughts.
Victimization: You cannot afford the helpless by-standing attitude. Creatively look for ways to intervene by developing your capacity for resilience. 
To make the shift effectively from backwards to forward, you need to change your thinking from cause-orientation to response-orientation in considering the followings:
1. Control: Look for what you can improve now rather than trying to identify all the factors even those beyond your control that caused it in the first place. Ask yourself, what aspect can you control?
2. Impact: Focus on identifying what positive effects your personal actions might have by sidestepping the temptation to find the origins of the problem in yourself or others. Step up to make the most immediate positive impact on this situation at hand.
3. Breadth: Do you assume that the underlying cause of the crisis is specific and can be contained, or do you worry that it might cast a long shadow over all aspects of your life? What are your impressions of the adversity's magnitude? You should rather focus on how to limit the damage.
4. Duration: How long do you believe that the crisis and its repercussions would last? You can begin to imagine a desirable outcome.
All the best as you understand and redirect your instinctive reactions towards useful things.

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