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Fall Seven Times, Get Up Eight: The Power of Resilience

There is an old Japanese proverb that says, “fall seven times, get up eight.” And this got me thinking about the power of resilience and how important it is in our overall mental well-being and our ability to look at obstacles as learning lessons. Given what we have all had to deal with over the last 18-plus months, it’s no wonder our ‘resilience muscles’ have taken a hit.  We have had to be collectively resilient for a while now which can be hard to maintain over such an extended period of time.

However, I think that these last 18 months or so have taught many of us… just how resilient we really can be and are. Perhaps even much more so than we thought pre-pandemic.

For me, one of the ways I have managed to stay resilient during challenging times in my life has been by accessing my childlike spirit. A child is a wonderful example of the power of resilience at work. When we see a child learning to walk and they keep falling down, they don’t think about giving up. They just keep trying and trying again until they either learn to do it or they get tired and need a nap. But in either case, they did not mentally give up just because they fell downtime and time again. Why? Because they don’t know any better. Their minds have not yet been acquainted with the concept of giving up and not being resilient. They don’t know the word failure. When they fall, they get back up again without hesitation. It’s natural for them.

Yet, how many of us get back up quickly when we fall down as an adult?

Some of us are lucky enough to maintain a childlike spirit and the essence of what makes us resilient, while others get depressed, feel anxiety, or may even give up on the goals and dreams they’ve been chasing when faced with devastating obstacles.

But it doesn’t have to be like that…which is why I love the proverb at the beginning. If we keep getting up when we get knocked down, we are continually building our powers of resilience. And over time, the things that previously took ‘the wind out of sails’ doesn’t do it as much.

Circumstances and situations that happen to us are temporary and impermanent like clouds in the sky. Clouds are ever-changing and flowing with nature. When we build our resilience mindset and muscle, we, too, become like clouds in the sky with our thoughts and experiences always changing and ever-flowing. Each experience and obstacle we encounter along the way is a chance for us to grow our resilience muscle and mindset that much stronger.

So when you are inevitably faced with the challenges and obstacles that life throws at you, you will rely on your childlike spirit and your resilience mindset and muscle you have been building day-by-day like a reserve in the bank, to get you through the next great learning lesson of life.

How have you used obstacles or challenges in your life to make you more resilient? I would love to know more.

Melissa Van Oss
Melissa Van Oss
Melissa Van Oss is a MidWest transplant to Washington, D.C. She embraced city life becoming involved in a private underground world that few see inside of, she pushed past her own fears, insecurities, and barriers, and came out the other side transformed into a confident, adventurous spirit… she awoke her aura of Seduction. Melissa is a three-time bestselling author, speaker, human relations strategist, and scholar. She is the author of the Seduction as a Second Language Series. Melissa uses her experiences in the world of Seduction to help others understand Seduction As A Second Language and how it translates into more confidence from the bedroom to the boardroom. When viewed as an intellectual pursuit, understanding Seduction will lead you down a path toward personal transformation, evolution, and higher consciousness. There is a difference between social Seduction and seducing someone in our personal relationships, Melissa shares how to tell the difference between them and how to use them to your advantage. Melissa has been interviewed for Life Altering Experiences on Roku TV as well as being featured in The Hollywood Times. She has also been a guest on the podcasts - “What Every Business Needs to Know Right Now,” “Analytical Chaos,” and “The Guy Who Knows a Guy.” She also recently spoke at the Monetize Your Matter Summit. She works with individuals, high-level executives, entrepreneurs, as well as former professional athletes. Melissa has collaborated on the creation of several live events and spoken at numerous workshops. The Indie film in which Melissa was a consultant won numerous awards as well. Van Oss attended Kent State University, where she graduated with honors with a Bachelor of Science degree. She currently lives in Washington, D.C.

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