THOUGHT OF THE WEEK:

"Reclaiming your wild, resilient, authentic self means seeking out the edges of discomfort. Only there do you find the truth of who you are, and what you’re capable of"

- Michael Easter

How often have you heard someone say (incorrectly I might add) that resilience is about bouncing back? Don't believe the hype.

Inner resilience isn’t about bouncing back ​a​nd returning to who you were​. Rather, it’s about rising into the person adversity was always shaping you to become​; the person you were meant to be.

Frankly, it's impossible to "bounce back" and be the SAME person when you confront and conquer a struggle or challenge. Exercising your grit and grace to battle through adversity inevitably alters you in profound ways; ensuring that you emerge indelibly stronger, wiser, and more evolved.

Adversity doesn’t end your story. It awakens it.

It’s the internal force that helps you bend but not break​; to keep moving forward when life gets heavy, uncertain, or ​unfair.​ To #walkon when you have no earthly idea what lies ahead or even where to step next.

It’s not about denying pain or pretending to be invincible.

It’s about choosing courage over surrender. Faith over fear. Growth over defeat.

​As a mentor & coach of young students and athletes, I work to ensure that they understand and embrace simple and transformative concepts like:

- Focusing on their identity rather than achievement. It is imperative that they grasp who they are and believe in themselves when no one else does. Pursuing excellence ​in the classroom or athletics isn’t about perfection - it’s about ​being authentic​ally who you are, ​the level of effort​ you're willing to dedicate to your goals, and ​your character​ and values which will guide you in your journey.

​- Reframing failure as fuel. Setbacks and failure are part of life. Everyone fails. But not everyone learns from their failures. Excellence grows in the soil of adversity​. No Mud, No Lotus as Thicht Naht Hanh preached. ​If they ​can learn to lean into ​the struggle instead of run​ning​ or hiding from it​, then growth, success, and peak performance awaits them. Face your fears through the freedom to fail.

- Quality of their mindset is critical. The quality of one's mindset architects the quality of their life. Once they understand that training their mind is just as important as training their body or their grade point average, then they are capable of self-regulat​ion, stay​ing highly focused, and sourc​ing confidence from within, ​r​ather than via comparison​ to others.

- Adopting consistent, positive daily habits that align with their core values and identity and shape the​m into the type of person who shows up ​and puts in the necessary work even when no one is watching.​ Their actions must consistently reflect ​their core beliefs​.

​- Teaching them that purpose trumps pressure. As Simon Sinek has counseled, "people don't buy what you do, they buy WHY you do it." Understanding your why will inspire others to support you as well as foster lasting success. Does your mission or performance transcend beyond yourself and connect to something much bigger? Inner excellence is unlocked when young people realize they’re playing for more than just stats or praise​.

- Recognizing that vulnerability is not a weakness, but rather a strength. Courage isn’t the absence of struggle​, but instead the ability to face it, learn from it, and grow stronger because of it.​ Resilience is built, not born. It’s a skill set they can develop through experience, reflection, ​vulnerability, and choice.

Teenagers won’t discover their inner resilience in comfort​. Rather, they’ll discover it in safe struggle, surrounded by coaches, mentors,​ parents, and teachers who believe in them enough to let them wrestle with growth.

Resilience isn’t about never falling​ down or failing. It’s about rising​ and transforming through failure or hardship. The goal of resilience isn’t to return to “normal” or pretend the adversity didn’t happen​, but to integrate the pain, the lessons, and the growth into a new version of yourself.​ It isn’t taught in a lecture - it’s drawn out through relationship​s, repetition, and ​self-reflection. When young people ​truly embrace the wholeness of life, believe they matter, when they’re given tools to own the​ power of their mindset, and when they’re challenged with love​, they ​ultimately rise​ and discover who they were meant to authentically be.

It's quiet. It's powerful. And it’s in all of us​, just waiting to be called upon.

 Follow Stephen Panus on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn for more of his unique and inspirational musings, quotes, thoughts, and words of inspiration and motivation.