THE GREAT RESIGNATION RESILIENCE

I am over it! I do not want to hear any more about Covid-19, the pandemic, masks, toilet paper shortages, or vaccines. After two-plus years of verbal blah, blah blah on the news, I have hit my saturation point.

WOW, that felt good to get off my chest. Seriously good. But honestly, I cannot get any of the things I just mentioned off my mind. I think about wearing a mask any time I leave the house. I ponder when or if I should get a second booster shot. I wonder if life, as I knew it before the pandemic, will ever return.

I believe many of us have similar thoughts and considerations, and at times, it feels overwhelming and exhausting. One day, however, I decided enough is enough. I do not have to feel overwhelmed and exhausted. I simply have to decide. I can control my thoughts and feelings. Wait, what? I can control my thoughts and feelings? That is a huge relief!

As I pondered the last two years of my pandemic life, I remembered all the family members who lost loved ones in an aviation disaster and those who responded in the aftermath.

It was during the responses to these disasters that I learned what resilience looked like. Families had to experience a disaster they did not ask for or cause and yet could navigate the emotions and logistics of what was next in their lives. Sound familiar? I am not saying the pandemic is the same as a plane crash. It is not. However, there are similarities.

Haven’t we all had to experience the emotions of uncertainty and “what’s next” during the pandemic of Covid-19? While not all of us lost a loved one, friend, or colleague during the pandemic, the emotional experience of “what’s next” wore on all of us. Looking back over the past two years though, I saw it again, resilience in how human beings adapted.

I am sure you have heard of The Great Resignation. People all around the world re-evaluating their careers and whether or not they are doing what they want or were meant to do with their lives. I love the Great Resignation because it means human beings are taking care of themselves. I think we should rename the Great Resignation to The Great Resilience because most people are adjusting to everything that happened to them during the pandemic. Human beings are adapting!

People are thinking about what matters to them, especially at work. Safe working conditions, good pay, remote working, good health care plans, career advancement, and in many cases finding an employer that is respectful of what employees contribute to the organization. For some, the Great Resignation meant quitting a job they could no longer tolerate and finding work that was more meaningful and emotionally satisfying even if that meant less pay. Whether one quit their job or not, the pandemic provided an opportunity for all of us to step back, review, and ask ourselves the question, am I doing what I want to do with my life?

The Great Resilience is not the only area where people are reevaluating their lives. Many people are examining their marriages, their friendships, and their family dynamic. How to strengthen their marriage or decide if staying in the marriage is what they want. Exploring what is working and meaningful and what is not. They ask themselves why they are friends with someone who they do not care for or share with friends what the friendship means to them and their life.

My family and friends know who I am and what I stand for and oftentimes, more importantly, what I do not stand for. I know from the last two years who my friends are. I know them because I have seen the good, the bad, and the ugly over the past two years and my friends are still who they showed themselves to be before the pandemic. Supportive, caring, available, and willing to be vulnerable and scared during a time where uncertainty ruled the world and doing their best to adapt to ever-changing circumstances. The very definition of resilience. 

During The Great Resilience, I found myself coming back to the same thoughts over and over again. I noticed a pattern. Tenets I lived by most of my life helped me be more resilient. The pattern or theme I re-discovered are four (4) tenets I believe help ground us, keep us centered, focused, and in control. 

To learn more about, The 4 Tenets to Keep You Grounded, visit my website, www.kenjenkinsllc.com

All the best,

Ken

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