More Than Just a Smile

It’s increasingly common to read or hear someone say that positive thinking is fundamental for happiness.

It’s true that our mental state influences what happens in our lives. It’s a pulse, a magnet that attracts or repels certain events, a kind of master key that opens the paths to success and prosperity.

Social media is filled with catchy phrases that simplify big, complex realities: think positive and everything good will happen in your life.

Said like this, it seems easy. But it’s not. Because the moment when positive thinking is most needed is when life is very negative, or in other words, a real disaster.

It’s easy to think positive when everything is going well, but what do you do when life is bad? How can you think positive when you can’t pay the rent, can’t find a job, lose a great love, when friends betray you, and obstacles grow stronger? I’ve never met anyone who could be positive in such circumstances.

In this context, when life is really tough, you need to turn to more radical practices, deeper concepts. You have to move from the realm of thought to the realm of endurance and action — and this is called resilience.

This is one of those words with edges, lacking rhythm or sweetness. It’s not an easy word, perhaps because it represents a difficult reality. But once the dictionary reveals its meaning, resilience becomes a concept that shows all its potential, all its strength.

In the physical sense, resilience is the “property of a body to recover its original shape after a shock or deformation.” Figuratively, it means “being flexible,” possessing the “ability to overcome or recover from adversities.”

Being resilient means overcoming problems and obstacles, no matter how difficult or complex, while maintaining some serenity. It’s being able to see solutions when everything is literally dark. It’s looking to the future instead of dwelling on the past and thinking like marathon runners: just one more step. It’s being objective, analytical, grounding yourself like ancient trees. It’s hesitating, making mistakes, but moving forward. It’s enduring, like soldiers entrenched under enemy fire. It’s recovering your original shape after a shock, as one of the definitions reveals.

Therefore, when nothing is going well, it’s essential to be resilient. And after everything has passed, and life gradually becomes less burdensome, it’s time to think positive again, and store away the secret weapon for tough times: resilience.

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Light and Love from my Soul to Yours! 🤍

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This post was previously published on medium.com.

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