3.15 Turbulence Resilience

“Life is a dream, realize it. life is a challenge, meet it. life is a duty, complete it. life is a game, play it.” - Mother Theresa
   Before every big game, I say the same thing: “In this game, good things and bad things will happen. The key to having more good than bad is making the next right play.” Too often we let mistakes, emotion, and pressure throw us off, and it can be hard getting back on track. That is why having emotional intelligence is so important; it helps us manage the good and the bad. When teaching athletes, coaches, and parents how to it all, I tell them about Turbulence Resilience. Turbulence is violent or unsteady movement, conflict, or confusion. It is when your peace gets interrupted. Resilience is your ability to withstand or recover from turbulence. I have identified four stages of Turbulence Resilience: 1 - The Panic Stage: When turbulence happens, you panic, preventing you from gaining control and making the next right play. 2 - The Negative Stage: You respond to turbulence with negativity, bringing yourself and everyone around you down. 3 - The Neutral or Freeze Stage: When turbulence happens, you don’t feel good about it, but you know you can’t panic or be negative, so you just freeze and think before reacting. 4 - The Positive or Lift Stage: When turbulence happens, you lead and respond with positivity. Nobody is perfect, so don’t expect to live in The Positive Stage all the time. But when you aren’t, recognize where you are and determine how you can and will get back to where you need to be. Question of the Day: How do you recognize what stage you are in, and how do you get back to where you want or need to be?