How to Access Your Resilience

Welcome back to Real Talk with Elliot, where I answer your questions, try to help you have a better life. And today’s question comes from someone named Industry Liaison. Now I’m pretty sure that’s not her real name, but that’s the name she uses to function online.

Industry Liaison asks, “What are some ways you keep track or can easily assess or access the evidence of your past successes? I’ve heard you say that on another interview. It sounds like something that can help me if I had a better way to recall that evidence when I need it most. I’ve tried a few things like writing, writing good moments in a jar and retrieving the jar when I’m low or journaling. It doesn’t seem as helpful as it sounds though.”

So here’s what I would say about that. There’s no wrong way to access your past successes. I literally just want you to think about them. I want you to look in your history and realize that everything I got through was not by accident or coincidence. Everything I got through was evidence of my success. Everything I’ve overcome and every challenge I have faced. And literally just replay them in your mind.

So you start changing how you view yourself. So you don’t view yourself as a failure, you don’t view yourself as a let-down, you start to view yourself as someone who is capable of overcoming anything. I think there is no way to do it, like write it down or, or as you suggest, putting in a jar, putting it on a tattoo.

I don’t, I don’t think, I don’t think there is a specific way to do it other than consistently, constantly be in touch with all of the achievements you’ve had in your life. Recognize that none of those achievements came by coincidence or accident. They all became part of you because you have a strength, you have a skill and you did something to make sure you overcame challenges.

I think another thing is we have a habit of only looking at big successes like graduations and weddings and, and these big moments. But you need to recognize like some of your greatest successes happen on your lowest days. Like the things I’m most proud of are those days when I didn’t even feel like getting out of bed. I didn’t think I had the strength to get up and go brush my teeth and take a shower, but I did. I somehow found a way to pull myself together and go face the world. Those are the days where I feel like the most of a champion because I did something hard. So that’s what I want you to do is consistently give yourself credit for doing things hard and recognize those things of the past successes that you need in those low moments.

So I hope that helps you, hope that makes a difference for you and everybody else listening, cuz I think that’s a very important lesson and I’m super glad you asked this question. If you want me to answer a question for you, please leave a comment below. You can even text message me. My number is 9 7 2 4 2 6 2 6 4 0 and hit me up. Send me your questions cause I would love to make a video for you.