Resilience may be one of the most important skills to develop. It allows us to persevere through personal, social, and work-related challenges in life. We’re all born with some level of resilience, but it’s no secret that elements out of our grasp such as our family and/or socioeconomic standing also have a great influence how we easily (or not) we can build resilience in our lives.
As an inheritor with a complicated set of life circumstances, you are uniquely situated to be intentional about the way you build resilience in your life. While it may be tempting to simply buy yourself out of difficult or uncomfortable situations, doing so not only hinders your ability to build resilience, but it also limits your personal growth and wastes an opportunity to gain experience. Rather than buying out your apartment complex when you disagree with how it’s managed, try forming a tenants’ union to gain perspective and better communicate your needs to management. Doing so won’t only help improve your own personal circumstances, but may also improve the circumstances of everyone else with a stake in the building. Resilience takes many forms, but at its core it entails holding yourself accountable for your present situation and taking an active role in transforming it for the better.
With few or no financial barriers to help build resilience, building resilience may instead take the shape of helping others. Studies show that acts of kindness such as volunteering at a homeless shelter can have an immense impact on increasing resilience, community connectedness, compassion, and mindfulness.
Building resilience is also a major contributing factor in improving mental health, and decreasing reliance on smoking, drugs, or alcohol. Another exercise to build resilience is to write down a list of your personal strengths, the things in life you are most thankful for, and a list of things that ground you when you feel stressed out. Looking back at this list when you go through a period of turbulence in your life can help build resilience by reminding you of all the good that still exists, and all that there is to still look forward to.
And always remember, building resilience takes a village. We can’t necessarily control when life throws a curveball at us, but we can control the the way we grow from life’s hurdles. At The Wealth Conservancy, our dedicated Wealth Coaches are committed to helping you understand and overcome your personal and financial challenges. Together, we can give you the tools and perspective you need to build resilience.