When Resilience Is Not Enough

Written by: Bronwen Sciortino, Executive Contributor

Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.

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We’ve all seen them – those beautifully crafted motivational quotes about resilience that are supposed to inspire us to keep going, no matter what.

Quotes like this one:

‘…Life doesn’t get easier or more forgiving; we get stronger and more resilient…’

Or this:

‘… Resilience is accepting your new reality, even if it’s less good than the one you had before …’

Words are powerful. And throughout the ages, words have been used to motivate and inspire people to get through the toughest of times.

But what happens when the words are being delivered by people who don’t know, or can’t see, that there might be another way we can do things?

I am one of the most resilient people you’ll ever meet … and that resilience broke me.

My strength is one of my greatest strengths, but it’s also my greatest weakness.

I have an ability to power through the toughest of situations, finding ways to give until there’s nothing left to give.

And while that’s seen me through some tough times, it was ultimately the thing that saw me brought to my knees.

I kept pushing until everything was so broken that there was no choice but to fall.

I was resilient … right up until the moment that my world shattered and I was left broken, surrounded by a million pieces of me on the floor.

I firmly believed that if you just keep going it makes you more resilient, and that would mean you would be indestructible.

But there’s a limit to the effectiveness of resilience.

What I didn’t know was that resilience is a great skill to have, but it only plays a small part in the overall story.

You only need to be more resilient if the pressure in your life is on the rise.

Unfortunately, there’s a multi-million-dollar industry that has arisen out of the demands of our fast-paced life.

It’s been created to teach us how to combat the demands that come from being connected 24/7, and how to withstand the pressures that come with the stress that we experience from every quarter of our lives.

As the industry has grown, so too have the number of people who provide training and education on how to be more resilient. With more people in the market, there’s also been an increase in conflicting information and cross-messaging on what to do, and what not to do, all in the name of becoming more resilient.

In all this confusion, despite millions of people telling you all the things you can do to be resilient, few of these people are actually addressing the problem that’s causing the need for more resilience.

When you address the problem at its source, you don’t need to create more and more resilience for you to withstand the demands of life.

Resilience isn’t enough, because it’s only one part of the story.

Trying to be stronger and more resilient is really just a ‘band-aid’ solution to a much bigger problem.

Yes, we all need some resilience in life from time to time.

There will always be challenges – we want them so that we can grow and develop, and we need some resilience to help us through these times.

But ultimately, if you change your focus from being more resilient to reducing the pressure and the stress you experience in life, you will have less to withstand.

And reducing your stress doesn’t have to be complex, expensive or time-consuming. Small, simple and practical steps to do things a little bit differently can help you experience your life in a significantly different way.

That means you can spend less time trying to weather the storm and fight what’s happening in your life, and more time finding the things that bring you joy and laughter.

There’s a very different way to live, and you don’t have to keep creating resilience before you’re allowed to experience it.

If want some help to reduce your stress levels and beat burnout forever, then dive into my free email series which you can get by clicking here. It’s full of 7 of my favourite steps to overcome overwhelm, reduce stress, take back control and keep things super simple.

Bronwen Sciortino is a Simplicity Expert, an internationally renowned author and professional speaker and you can follow her at her website; Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn.

Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, or visit my website for more info! Read more from Bronwen!

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Bronwen Sciortino, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine

Bronwen Sciortino is an International Author and Simplicity Expert who spent almost two decades as an award-winning executive before experiencing a life changing event that forced her to stop and ask the question ‘What if there’s a better way to live?’

Embarking on a journey to answer this question, Bronwen developed a whole new way of living – one that teaches you to challenge the status quo and include the power of questions in everyday life.

Gaining international critical acclaim and 5-star awards for her books and online programs, Bronwen spends every day teaching people that there is an easy, practical and simple pathway to creating a healthy, happy AND highly successful life.

Sourced globally for media comment as an expert and working with corporate programs, conference platforms, retreats, professional mentoring and in the online environment, Bronwen teaches people how easy it is to live life very differently.