Resiliency speaks to our ability to overcome the difficulties and tragedies we experience in life. In order to successfully bounce back from the difficulties, we face, we have to be armed with the right attitude.
Possessing a ‘Yes I Can’ attitude increases our likelihood of success when we face adversity and increases the likelihood of our responding to adversity in a healthy manner. Thus, mastering this attitude as a facet of resilience improves our overall resilience significantly.
The following outlines several key elements that aid in the development of a ‘Yes I Can’ attitude.
Optimism
On one hand, optimism is the ability to see the positives in the midst of a negative situation. On the other hand, optimism is also about the ability not to dwell on negatives that do exist. It’s not about ignoring negatives altogether, but rather paying attention to negatives that may be pertinent to the situation, while simultaneously not remaining focused on those negatives for a prolonged period of time.
It’s about the balance between viewing a situation with realism and having a positive outlook (Barker, 2016). This healthy balance then helps individual employees to embrace the idea that the negatives are temporary and that steps can be taken to move towards a positive outcome. This leads to the empowerment that creates the ‘I Can Do’ attitude of resilience.
Confidence
Another aspect of developing a ‘Yes I Can’ attitude is a belief in yourself and your abilities. According to research, individuals who possess a high level of belief in their own abilities are better able to manage stress and bounce back from trauma. When employees possess confidence in their own abilities they subsequently ascribe to the belief that they can overcome adversity as a result of the strengths and abilities they possess. Ultimately, when they believe they can do anything, chances are you will go on to accomplish that very thing (Cherry, 2020).
Goal setting
Goal setting contributes to the ‘Yes I Can’ attitude by breaking down larger challenges into smaller bits that can be managed and tackled. When a situation is analyzed, a problem is accurately identified, and goals are set to address the problem, the challenge can be more reasonably managed. Goal setting allows workers to see themselves making small progress towards to ultimate goal of conquering the challenge, which then fuels the belief in their ability to be able to achieve and conquer the larger task (Cherry, 2020).
Awareness
Awareness is another crucial element of fostering the ‘Yes I Can’ attitude of resiliency. Awareness helps workers to gain deeper understanding of their behaviors, actions, thoughts, feelings, and motivations. When we better grasp what drives our thoughts, feelings, and actions we then develop more control over our thoughts, feelings, and actions.
What your workforce has better control over they can then better direct towards helping conquer adversity and move towards greater resilience. For when workers become more aware of the personal adjustments needed to and have the power to make in order to improve our situation for the better, we inevitably enhance our ‘Yes I Can’ attitude because we understand exactly what is within our control and how to use it to our advantage (Waters, 2013).
Ultimately, the development of a ‘Yes I Can’ attitude will result in enhanced resiliency. As your staff strives to be more optimistic, more confident, and to set SMART goals (Specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and timely) they will improve their personal belief that ‘We Can’ when faced with adversity. It is this attitude that will give them the strength needed to continue pressing forward when the going gets tough, and this attitude that will ultimately help them overcome adversity.
References:
Barker, E. (2016, April 26). 10 ways to boost your emotional resilience, backed by research. Time. https://time.com/4306492/boost-emotional-resilience/
Cherry, K. (2020, January). Use these 10 tips to improve your resilience. Verywell Mind. https://www.verywellmind.com/ways-to-become-more-resilient-2795063
Waters, B. (2013, May 21). 10 traits of emotionally resilient people. Psychology Today. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/design-your-path/201305/10-traits-emotionally-resilient-people