25 May Who is your everyday hero? Developing resilience through gratitude

COME FROM AWAY

– a story of compassion and resilience

For those who are not yet in the know, Come From Away is a must-see Canadian triumph and a Tony award-winning show.

It is the true story of the tiny town of Gander in Newfoundland, Canada that responded with grace, courage, and compassion on 9/11 – one of the darkest days in our modern history. It is the story of everyday people who made a tremendous difference at a special moment.

The town is on the northeastern-most tip of North America. It used to be the last refueling stop for planes before they crossed the Atlantic and was well-known to servicemen in World War 2. That was until jets were invented, and it reverted to a tiny community of 9,000 on the edge of the ocean, with cold weather and harsh seas.

On 9/11 the U.S. closed their airspace and the skies across North America grew eerily quiet. 38 cross-Atlantic flights were diverted to Gander mid-journey. The show tells the human story of a nervous town that stepped forward, welcomed and accommodated a very diverse population that nearly doubled their size overnight.

Everyday heroes

As I watched, I noticed the number of townsfolk who went out of their way to understand and welcome a very nervous and frightened transient population. Everyday people. Who on that day made extra-ordinarily ordinary gestures that reminded each of us that we were still a human race. These simple acts of compassion were extraordinarily heroic given the tension and distrust on that day.

It was also a demonstration of the resilience of the human spirit.

Developing Resilience in GenZ

Resilience is the ability to deal with an adversity or trauma – to acknowledge it, but recover from it. And it is a very handy survival skill, especially for the workforce of tomorrow.

Resilience is an Emotional Intelligence or EQ skill.  For some it is innate. The rest of us can learn, develop, and exercise it, like a muscle. It exists within each of us, ready to be hauled out when the moment calls for it. And the exercise routine can be really simple: Be grateful. This simple act is a great way to develop resilience.

Currently, there is an increasing focus on the mental well-being of the newest workforce. GenZ (born 1995-2015) are in post secondary education and beginning to enter the workforce. Schools and Post-secondary institutions are reporting a shift in the demand for mental wellness programs. If ever there was a time to strengthen our resilience, it is now.

Heroes are all around us, all the time

Every day people do little acts of kindness every day. Little things that have a big impact on those around them.

• The young lad who gives up his seat for a weary mother carrying 2 bags of groceries,with 3 toddlers in tow
• The driver who pays for the coffee order of the car behind her
• The smile and cheerful hello from a crossing-guard on a rainy morning

Little acts of kindness remind us that we can each call on our inner hero when the moment requires.  For some, those moments are extra-ordinary moments in history. For others, it could be everyday interactions in a cafe or a hospital.

Let’s notice these people. Let’s be grateful, acknowledge them, share and copy their simple acts of graciousness.

And as Benjamin P Hardy noted in a recent article,

it may increase our (own) ability to cope with life’s challenges, big and small.

Invite me to speak

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Visit FUTUREcasting.ca to book me as a speaker, to learn more about the ‘Future of Work’, discover the workshops and to join the weekly newsletter.

Research & Credits

• What is resilience? – http://www.apa.org/helpcenter/road-resilience.aspx
• 10 ways to build resilience – http://www.apa.org/helpcenter/road-resilience.aspx
• https://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/82-003-x/2017001/article/1469
• Working with Emotional Intelligence, Daniel Goleman
• Benjamin P. Hardy – This 75-year Harvard study reveals the secret to happiness and success 
• Photo credit: Karena de Souza