A lesson from nature

The world is billions of years old. Can you think of anything more resilient than that?

Think about it for a second….this watery rock on which we have developed as a species, that we call home, has evolved and grown over literally billions of years to become what it is today.

The constant flow of life from one corner of the planet to the other, the endless seasons, the minuscule changes over millennia, all moving life forward, constantly evolving and adapting.

That is resilience.

If you look it up, ‘resilience’ is literally defined as ‘the act of rebounding’. It was first used in the 1600s and most people understand it as our capacity to recover quickly from hardship and difficulties. However, I think it’s evolved to mean something more. I don’t believe that it’s just about the ‘bounce back’, because that implies we end up back where we were before. Instead, I believe that challenges and adversities change us. We grow as a result of these challenges. And that is what I believe resilience is all about.

Advancing despite adversity.

This is what water does. It continues to move forward, adapt and even change forms constantly. It is apparently the only substance on earth to exist naturally in three states — gas, liquid and solid — and it flows in and out of these various states constantly.

Watch any river to get a sense of the flow and movement. Rocks and riverbeds don’t hinder water from its course. Not even dam walls present an impenetrable obstacle. Upon entering a dam, water simply waits for the moment it will continue the journey forward.

So how do we get to this level of resilience?

There are many ways forward but, taking this lesson from nature, here is one simple, but massive, way forward.

Adaptability.

It’s a fast-paced world full of change. Marketing is not immune to this change - algorithms switch on us, budgets rise and fall, technologies are entering the chat every day. We really have no choice but to adapt. And those of us who can embrace change and pivot quickly are best placed to thrive.

The quickest way to prepare for this is to do something that pushes us (big or small) every day. Even the tiniest thing can promote feelings of adaptability. We can use our other hand when brushing our teeth, go without coffee, put our phones away for 30 mins, or enthusiastically embrace a new software that our business just deployed. Whatever we do, trying something new opens up the mind to a whole new world of perspective and opportunity, which can lead to new ideas to tackle change.

These small practices sound trivial and insignificant, but they will lead to a mindset that is ready when change strikes unexpectedly. Change will still happen (it’s guaranteed), but it just won’t phase us as much.

If this sounds too easy, give it a go today. As with everything, it’s in the actual doing that the benefits are realized.

I teach workplaces and individuals the strategies to improve mindset and mental health. These are preventative ideas and practical tools to help us all thrive when obstacles come our way. Let’s set up a discovery call today.

Until next time friends, stay resilient!

Carre @ Resilient Marketing Minds