My academic studies left me spending the majority of this weekend buried deep in research articles on resilience as it applies to athletic performance, and while I’m fairly keen on not reading or writing another word about resilience for quite some time (it’s been something of a tedious weekend), I’m still set on sharing with you a little glimpse at just how significant this concept of resilience is. I’ve heroically taken the burden of digging into the rather long-winded, technical research, and so I’ll put it to you in a way that’s short and sweet.

Resilience is a quality shared by all top performers as well as extraordinary survivors. Think of any story of greatness or any story of return from tragedy or extreme hardship, and you have an account of resilience. It is both sturdiness and elasticity: it protects, and, when the inevitable adversity does break through the protective barriers, it not only helps you return to where you were before, it also gets you there with new resources, understandings, and strengths to be better prepared the next time. And it’s not just for extraordinary stories either. At some point or another, things will be hard -- that’s a guarantee. It is the stuff of Olympic championships and extreme survival, but it’s also the stuff of effective parenting, performing well at your job, and of being a productive and fulfilled human.

The best news is, it’s not some magical quality that some people have and others don’t: it’s a process. It is the process of viewing challenges with a growth mindset (“How is this setback a chance for me to improve? What can I control?), of surrounding oneself with supportive and growth-minded peers, and of committing to the process with focus and motivation. And best of all, the more you practice it, the more resilient you become.

- PS

4/23/18

• 20 min AMRAP

• 50 push-ups

• 40 box jumps

• 30 pull-ups

• 20 alternating pistols

• 10 ring dips