Resilience isn’t always about grand acts of bravery; sometimes, it’s just a whisper to keep going. –Ernest Hemingway

I love my dog, Parker.  It’s a well-chronicled fact in our family.  And because I love my dog, and because no one else will walk him, that chore usually falls on my shoulders (Do I sound bitter?)  Actually, I don’t mind.  After all, Parker is the only one in my family who listens to me!  (There I go again!) 

But seriously, folks…

Earlier this week, the last gasp of winter took hold in the Washington, DC area.  The wind ripped through our neighborhood, turning a routine dog walk into a frozen fiasco.  At one point, the wind was blowing so hard, and the chill was so severe, I had to turn and walk backward for protection.  Parker was majorly confused!

It offered me temporary relief from the cold, but I couldn’t see where I was going.  Eventually, I lost my footing and stumbled.  And when I finally reoriented myself, I noticed how far I had drifted off the path.  The respite from the cold was temporarily comforting, but I had to work much harder to get back on the right track.  And worse, because I had turned my back for so long, it felt twice as cold when I finally adjusted to face the wind.

Taking a break from the cold wind is okay, and sometimes even prudent.  But the longer we avoid the reality of the chill, the harder it is to get back on the right path.  And isn’t that true in our personal and professional lives?

We Can’t Stay in Our Shell Forever

The polar vortex can rapidly descend on our profession.  Sales can dry up.  Our skills can fail us at crunch time.  The market can tank.  Our clients can abandon ship.  Our teams can crumble.  Our students can lose faith.   Despite all our best efforts, that cold wind will howl down the alley.  We need to protect ourselves.  Sometimes, we need to take a break and gain valuable perspective.  Sometimes, we need to seek comfort.  But we can’t retreat into our shell for too long!

When failure is at our doorstep, the world won’t step aside and patiently allow us to mend.  Even in a slump, salespeople still need to make calls.  Even after a subpar performance, athletes still need to train. Even when a product launch fails, entrepreneurs still need to tap new markets.  Even amidst a slew of lost opportunities, rainmakers still need to find new clients.  Even after a loss, coaches still need to find innovative ways to win the next game.  Even when apathy settles in, teachers still need to find new ways to motivate their students.   It seems counter-intuitive, but during these cold and windy times, we need to work the hardest!  The longer we stay away from the core principles that made us successful, the harder it is to turn and face that cold wind.

Dealing With Reality Is Never Easy

The same is true in our personal lives.  Strained relationships.  Financial hardship.  Family strife.  It can feel like an unrelenting ice bath of anguish.  We want to seek comfort.  We want to curl up and make it stop.  Calgon, take us away! 

We may turn to substances to relieve the stress.  We may put up a wall and close ourselves off from the world.  We may ignore the root cause of our misery and blame others.  But how long can this strategy work?  The longer we ignore and bury our pain, the harder it is to address the underlying issues.  And the colder that wind will feel when we finally spin forward and deal with our reality.

Lean Into the Wind

There is nothing wrong with protecting ourselves from the elements.  We do not seek pain and it is not a badge of courage to needlessly endure agony.  Some setbacks and tragedies are more than we can stomach in the moment.  Searching for comfort is not a sign of weakness.

But eventually we need to lean headfirst into that cold wind.  The longer we shelter in place, the harder it will be to face that reality.  Although painful and uncomfortable, when we face forward, we can identify our goals and see a brighter way.  We can track our progress.  We can feel ourselves inching closer to home.  This creates a tough outer shell of resilience around us.  And that wind doesn’t seem nearly as fierce.

Let’s Bring It Home!

We always have to walk the dog.  We can’t escape the realities of our lives.  But the wind won’t blow forever.  We are not doomed to spend our lives in constant struggle.  Winter may be coming.  But every winter that has ever arrived has departed.

Take a deep breath.  Button up that coat.  And stand up tall to face that cold wind.

You’ll be home before you know it.