Resilience and Eventprofs
If you met me now, you probably think I seem pretty together, and have things pretty good. I do. Most of the time. We all have stories of our own, of joy and pain, love and despair, falling down and getting back up again. This is life. We are never prepared. We must learn, usually the hard way, to be resilient. To develop the capacity to recover from difficult situations. To know these are situations, and they will pass is a first step. Knowing who you can count on to help you, who is truly on your side is another tool to get through challenges. Perhaps one of the most difficult is choosing our attitude. Will we wallow in the misery? Sometimes. Will we look forward and seek hope over despair? If you ever think you are having a tough day, read Amanda Lindhout’s story, one of resilience beyond imagination.
If you have known me since my teens, you will know about recovering from Bells Palsy. If you have known me since my twenties, you probably still want to carry something for me because you remember when I could not lift my arms long enough to wash my own hair and in my thirties to having the doors closed on our place of employment suddenly, foisting 25 of us into unemployment. You may have known me through losing my brother, father and numerous friends and extended family members. I am not alone in facing challenges. I have wallowed, and overcome. I have been resilient because I had to be. Resilience is one of the toughest traits to develop; a skill hard to teach, experience being the teacher with impact. It is a key, core skill for getting through what may come. It is something I know is within each of us, even on the days it may seem difficult to find.
If you have been with me for the last 27 years there is a good chance you have been by my side working on one or dozens of events, and I thank you. Every single person has contributed to making each event better and darn it, a lot of these have taken a ton of sustained effort in sometimes seemingly impossible conditions – from the tops of glaciers where you pack it all in and out to remote communities with little infrastructure and fewer supplier partners, to massive sets, movements and strikes, often with unrealistic timelines. Every time, we dig deeper and get it done. Then we get up and do it again. Who knew we would miss this stress so much? Right now we are on a complete PAUSE with events around the globe stopped or limited to small groups only.
Eventprofs know the power of resilience. When a client chooses to leave our agency for any number of reasons, we bounce back and find new clients who can use our support and expertise. When challenges arise, from a tanking economy leading to unexpected cancellations, from security to transportation, mudslides and road closures, venue changes and so much more, we find solutions. We find the people we can trust, we move forward, we adapt. We have never had to use our collective power more than as we face the ongoing, body-slamming repercussions that Covid-19 has brought to our lives.
Many of you have shared your stories with me in the past – from living with chronic conditions to losing those who are most important; through illness and recovery, cross-country or global moves and a million brave choices, overcoming large and small fears as we navigate the mundane and complex day-to-day challenges of life. Now you willingly open yourselves up to share the frustration and challenges from our evolved world, and also the joy you are finding in unexpected moments with new time available. To each of you, thank you for choosing to include me in your journey. I salute your resilience.
Adapted from the original written June 2017 for tahiralovesevents.blogspot.com
