Do you ever feel the weight of the world on your shoulders?

Stress, burdens, and obstacles are no strangers to the men and women involved in production agriculture. In fact, they are part of the lifestyle. However, there are two options when faced with these hurdles: We can allow them to wear us down, or we can rise above and choose to live a life full of resiliency that demands flexibility and adaptability.

Resiliency is the ability to grow and thrive in the face of challenges. It’s about bouncing back from adversity when it arrives at the doorstep. A resilient individual is willing to take calculated, necessary risks, and capitalize on the opportunities that present themselves within each challenge.

When I talk resiliency with either my coaching clients or soldiers at my Army National Guard unit, I use the analogy of dropping an egg and a tennis ball on the ground from the same height. What happens when an egg is dropped? It hits the hard surface and breaks into tiny pieces every time. How about the tennis ball? It bounces back to us due to its elasticity. Both were dropped from the same height, and both hit the same hard surface. The key difference is the tennis ball changes its shape to absorb the impact and then reforms itself to bounce back even stronger.

We can learn so much from this analogy. Are we prioritizing a growth mindset, ready to accept whatever comes our way each day? If we want to mitigate the stress, weight, and obstacles in our lives, we must choose to be like the tennis ball and embrace the challenges with flexibility and adaptability. If we don’t properly handle and work through challenges, the weight we carry can pile up over time and force us to crack under pressure.

Adversity can test one's character, resiliency and courage. It will either make or break us. So how do we deal with it?

First, we must train our minds to be resilient by building inner strength and developing a growth mindset. When times are difficult, we must tap into the knowledge and life experiences we have, and use those to propel us forward. I'm a firm believer in “LIFE HAPPENING FOR US AND NOT TO US.” In other words, all of our experiences have happened to us for a reason. It is then up to us to utilize those experiences to help someone who may be going through similar trials.  

Second, we must develop and nurture a support system that we can fall back on. This support is crucial to maintaining longevity in our lives. So many of us feel like we are supposed to go through our challenges alone, but this couldn't be further from the truth. In fact, NO MAN IS AN ISLAND. Romans 14:7-8 says, "For none of us lives for ourselves alone, and none of us dies for ourselves alone. If we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord." Finding and connecting with a group of like-minded individuals can be instrumental in helping us move forward in times of adversity.

Next time you face trials, consider the impact of learning from it, and let the experience mold you into who you were called to be.

I wear many hats while in pursuit of my passions, including serving as a Christian husband, father, Kansas rancher, men’s mindset coach, Army National Guard officer, consultant, and endurance athlete. I want to hear from you! What areas of your life do you struggle to be resilient in? Let’s have a conversation! You can connect with me on Instagram @coachjohnsachse or shoot me an email at [email protected].