Beyond Resilience: Embracing Transformative Resilience for Lasting Change

“She stood in the storm and when the wind did not blow her way, she adjusted her sails.”  - Elizabeth Edwards

Resilience, in simple terms can be expressed as the quality of being able to return quickly to a previously good condition after facing problems or setbacks. While often touted as one of the steadfast qualities of every successful individual, in the increasingly volatile and uncertain times, mere resilience might not suffice. Transformative Resilience is the need of the hour that proposes that is is not enough to revert to the state of normalcy, it is essential to embrace the challenge, and use it as a catalyst for growth.

Beyond Resilience:

Resilience has been historically appreciated very rightfully as it takes immense courage and strength to show resilience in difficult situations. A boxer getting up from a big blow, an entrepreneur recoiling from a failed business deal, nature reclaiming after a natural calamity are all brilliant examples of resilience. But what gets missed here is the recalibration that takes place after each setback, a boxer losing a fight not only gets back up, but also readjusts their strategy for the next blow to come out victorious. Every successful entrepreneur is the one who has failed at various attempts and has readjusted the approach to finally make it big. And similarly, nature finds different ways and means to regenerate, something that we all have witnessed during Covid.

This makes it clear that along with endurance, a solution based mindset is essential to make it out of a difficult situation with any level of success. Also, this acknowledges that it might not be viable to get back to status quo each time and prepares people for the future regardless of the perceived outcome.

Type Rs:

Ama Marston and Stephanie Marston, in their book "Type R," introduce individuals who embody Transformative Resilience. These Type Rs don't just bounce back; they bounce forward. They recognize that adversities are not only to be endured, is it essential to take them as an opportunity to innovate, learn, and grow.

What distinguishes Type Rs is their ability to have power over their mind to be able to stay calm and have the eye on the final objective. This allows them to ride the storm and understand what the best course of action could be, given the circumstances. It is not necessary that challenges must always lead to action, transformative resilience also is the ability to understand that sometimes inaction might be of better value.

Cultivating Transformative Resilience

While resilience is said to be undeniably impacted by genetics, it can also be practiced and acquired. As with most of personality based traits, transformative resilience can be instilled by nurturing courage, strength over mind, cultivating concentration and deep understanding of self. It also involves developing a robust support system and fostering communities that can withstand and emerge stronger from collective challenges.

Nature, with its inherent resilience and ability to adapt and evolve in response to environmental challenges, serves as a powerful model. After a forest fire, new life emerges, often enhanced by the nutrient rich ash on the soil surface, more resilient to future challenges. Similarly, individuals and communities at whole can learn from nature's resilience, transforming adversities into opportunities for growth and renewal.