Lessons from my family: It's all about attitude management, proactive anticipation, courage restoration, resourcefulness, decisive action, agile thinking, maintaining optimism, and reframing trends as opportunities rather than threats.
I have so much to learn from my sons and daughters-in-law!
I'm reflecting on this today as the youngest of my two sons turns 30. Here's on the far right in the photo.
While I spend a lot of time on a lot of stages speaking about resilience, I've had the opportunity to witness the development of resilience firsthand with the evolution of their careers and lives.
Each of them has faced some type of significant career challenge at some point in their lives. Rather than giving into despair, I've watched as they've nurtured themselves with hope, determination, and action. The spirit they've shown through these times has taught me something about myself and has offered me lessons on how I too can nurture my spirit of resilience.
Here's what I've seen - as their careers underwent the typical - and sometimes untypical - twists and turns of life, they never gave up. They never gave in. They fought back. In doing so, they become the fountain of wisdom that has helped to nurture my soul, feed my optimism, and fuel my determination. When I talk about resilience in my keynotes, I often draw from global business examples. But today, I want to share something more personal - how my sons and daughters-in-law have embodied the resilience principles I've advocated for years.
Taking Action When Values Don't Align
One showed perfect initiative when facing a workplace that no longer aligned with his values. He didn't hesitate or fall into what I call "aggressive indecision." Instead, he networked strategically, using his maturity to carefully weigh the options until finding a company that better matched his principles. That's but one example. He also exemplifies the idea of fast learning - when I talk about 'just-in-time knowledge' as a concept, he lives it. Doing a massive home renovation and don't have a key skill? Go out and find it and learn it on YouTube!
The fact is, it seems that throughout his life, any time he has found a barrier, he pressed play rather than remaining stuck. That matches exactly what I mean when I tell organizations to "Just do it" during periods of change.
Bouncing back from setbacks
My other son has weathered several rounds of what we might call career negativity. What makes me proud is how he's mastered the art of "Managing The Attitude" - a key principle of resilience. He's learned to contain emotional responses to a trusted inner circle while maintaining a positive, solutions-focused face professionally. That matters - because it helps to propel an image of confidence while turmoil churns below the surface. Not only that, he has developed such a massive range of different skill sets through a mindset of relentless curiosity that I think he could take on any career opportunities that came his way. I am sometimes stunned by what he knows and have marveled as the depths of his knowledge on various topics have come to surpass my own.
And I've got to say that his networking abilities have become exceptional through these challenges. He's living proof that resilience often comes through relationships and connections built during difficult transitions.
Aligning skills with opportunities
One daughter-in-law exemplifies persistence in career transitions - she never gives up! Through all of her career transitions, she has never surrendered to discouragement despite facing what sometimes has seemed like a steady flow of rejections. She just worked harder to methodically align her considerable talents with what organizations needed. Through her voyage, I've come to understand that much of the HR recruitment is pretty broken - and will likely only become worse as AI takes over!
The fact is, she took it "one step at a time" and found creative ways to showcase her expertise in terms that resonated with employers. This is exactly what I mean by "Make do" and "Innovate" - finding resourceful solutions even when the path isn't clear.
Quiet Determination
My other daughter-in-law approached very unique challenges with quiet exploration rather than complaints. Her unique circumstance had her starting her professional career at the same moment that the global pandemic shut down opportunities in real-time. It was not an easy moment, but she handled it with grace, determination, and effort. She never complained, falling into the 'why did this happen to me' trap, but instead, accepted reality for what it was, working hard to move on.
Her steady commitment to keep moving forward, one option at a time, reminds me that sometimes the most powerful resilience isn't dramatic - it's simply persistent.
What We Can Learn from This?
I'm immensely proud of how my family has refused to let career obstacles define them. They've each built resilience in their way through attitude management, initiative, networking, and continual exploration. In today's unpredictable career landscape, these skills are invaluable. Remember - resilience isn't something you're born with; it's something you build one challenge at a time!
And the fact is, much of what they learned has informed what I cover in my keynotes. It helps to reinforce everything I believe about resilience. Their journeys perfectly illustrate the lessons I share in my work:
1. Manage Your Attitude: My son showed this beautifully - feeling the emotions privately while keeping a positive, solution-focused face to the world.
2. Accept Inevitability: Change happens! My daughter-in-law who started her career during the pandemic didn't waste energy fighting reality - she accepted it and moved forward.
3. Anticipate – don't react: I've watched my children spot warning signs early and prepare, rather than just responding to problems after they erupt.
4. Experiment (again): They've never stopped trying new approaches, even when early attempts didn't work out. That's courage!
5. Take risks: I've cheered as they've stepped outside their comfort zones, knowing mistakes are just part of growing.
6. Restore your courage: After disappointments, they've actively rebuilt their confidence. Resilience isn't automatic - it requires this intentional restoration.
7. Take it one step at a time: Breaking down big challenges into manageable steps has been their secret to making progress when things feel overwhelming.
8. Innovate: They've consistently found creative ways to showcase their talents and solve problems. Innovation isn't just for tech - it's for life!
9. Make do: Their resourcefulness in using what they have rather than lamenting what they lack has been truly inspiring.
10. "Just do it.": When facing tough choices, they've chosen action over what I call "aggressive indecision." They press play rather than remaining stuck.
As I celebrate my son's 30th birthday today, I'm filled with pride and gratitude!
These young adults have become my teachers in resilience - showing me that bouncing back is about optimism, agility, and seeing opportunities where others see threats.
Who would have thought?
Futurist Jim Carroll and his wife know they have been wonderfully blessed with the presence of these four in their lives.