Mindful Resilience: The capacity to recover quickly from difficulties. The ability of an object to spring back into shape; elasticity.  (Oxford Dictionary)

So much of our job as Superintendents depends on our ability to build resilience into our systems. We focus a great deal of time and energy on building the ability for our turf to recover quickly from inevitable hardship. The full range of our cultural practices, from nutrition, to hydration, air movement and proper light levels are all designed to promote turf health and the ability for the system to bounce back from difficulties. 

As we reflect on how much effort we put into developing resilience within our turf operations, have you ever stopped to ask yourself the same question? Have you paused lately and thought about how much effort you put into developing internal resilience? 

• How are your nutrition and hydration levels? 
• What are your stress levels like? 
• Do you have a good relationship with your breath? 
• What about your natural light exposure? Do you get outside enough for replenishing time in nature?

These questions can be a starting point when considering your own ability to be resilient. Over the next few posts on this blog, we are going to delve into what it means to develop Mindful Resilience. We will explore some of the practices and themes we can hone in on to help us build the ability to absorb and move through life’s ups and downs. 

We will explore:

• Intention – Where does your internal compass point? What are the values you fall back on when the seas get choppy? We will reflect on the power of intention when it comes to building internal strength.
• Self Care – It’s hard to be flexible during times of turmoil if you haven’t taken care of the basics during the good times. Our relationship with our body, rest, and nurturing are key components to fostering resilience.
• Vulnerability – Resilience isn’t about strength and toughness. We don’t have to become an iron woman/man twenty four hours a day. It’s more about recognizing that as humans, we all suffer and that our choices as per how we relate to that suffering will determine the degree of ease we live with.
• Letting Go – As we move through life and practice letting things be, we end up creating a lot of much needed space. This space is a vital element in crafting a container that can hold life’s troubles with both kindness and compassion. 
• Courage/Acceptance – It’s nearly impossible to create true resilience if we cannot accept what is happening. This process of acceptance takes a great deal of courage. Showing up and facing life’s difficulties with wisdom and strength are key to developing our ability to rebound.
• Gratitude & Joy – By actively fostering an outlook that emphasizes and opens to both gratitude and joy is crucial to promoting resilience. Being able to pause and appreciate the good in life when things are rough is a skill worthy of practice.
• Self Compassion – When we are helping others our compassion knows no boundaries. Extending that same level of compassion to ourselves helps to create a more friendly internal relationship and is vital for sustainability moving forward more resiliently.
• Community – The idea that we can build true resilience on our own is a cultural myth. Bottom line is that we all are deeply interconnected and we all really need each other in this world. Surrounding yourself with a loving and supportive team is integral to long term well being. No person is an island. Kind welcoming of yourself to this is key.

Each of these skills will be its own post. We will break them down and dive a bit deeper into how they can help you build a life in which you can navigate the bumps in the road with greater ease and develop a better relationship with yourself in the process. 

Thanks so much for reading.
Paul