It is the season of layoffs. The sudden ouster is like a punch on the face when you least expect it. For the faint-hearted, the pink slip is a doomsday message in the mail box. But, for those with a well-oiled resilience mechanism in place, a layoff is just another bend in the road.
A dear friend was recently shown the door at an esteemed organisation. That evening, she conveyed the news of her unceremonious exit with dampened spirits. I did not hear anything from her for the next 2 days. And, when vivacious people go into self-imposed exile, it becomes a cause of concern for family and friends. What good friends like me need to understand is that, may be now is the time they require some solitude. And, if they are little quiet, it does not mean they are on the threshold of depression.
All my doubts were dispelled over the next few days as I found that the lost look on her face had given way to a determined one. Instead of wallowing in self-pity, my friend prepared an action plan. She enrolled in a morning yoga class in addition to registering for online MOOC courses to hone her skills. The neatly hand-written To-do list was back on the refrigerator door with a few more additional points. One point that caught my attention was: A healthy body is the abode of a healthy mind. Cut the junk. Woah! I wondered, quite a detailed plan at that. My friend is diligently following her action plan and for such determined individuals, the only way is the way forward.
Sometimes for the hidden seed of potential to sprout, adversity works as the best fertiliser. Walt Disney rightly said, “All the adversity I’ve had in my life, all my troubles and obstacles, have strengthened me… You may not realize it when it happens, but a kick in the teeth may be the best thing in the world for you”. History is testimony to the fact that the foundation of greatness is often adversity. Nelson Mandela, Abraham Lincoln, or more recently Jack Ma had a backing of adverse circumstances to reach heights of unparalleled greatness. Ironic, but true.
A look at nature would also reveal the same truth. Take the case of the biennial flooding of rivers in the flood plains. During flooding, a lot of damage is caused to the farm infrastructure. The havoc caused may force a novice farmer in the flood plains to rethink his options. Yet, it is the same flood water that carries with it nutrient-rich organic matter and sediments, and deposits all of it in the plains that it passes through, making the flood plains one of the most fertile farmlands of the world.
A closer look at our own experiences in the past will reveal that whenever there was a suffering which initially appeared beyond our endurance, and we persisted in the face of it all, the ultimate result was far more satisfying than what we expected. This reaffirms my long-held belief that life never follows a policy of simple interest. For the principal amount called adversity, which it may lend to us from time to time, the dividend that it pays is far greater, always in compound interest. Type Yes, if you agree.
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