Bill Nelson

Floods

Bushfires

Cyclone

Heatwave

How much can a Koala Bear?

What has brought all of this on?

Global Warming

Climate Change

El Nino

La Nina

The debate rages about what is causing these unbelievable weather extremes. Me, I am not sure what is causing it, but the one thing I am sure about is the strength of the Australian community.

We have for years seen farmers battle everything mother nature can throw at them yet they keep coming back.

In the past few weeks we have seen southern Queensland devastated by flooding.

We have seen northern Queensland hit by a cyclone that was so large it would almost cover the United States, most of Asia and large parts of Europe.  The pre-landfall core was over 500km wide and its associated activity stretched well over 2000km.

We have seen Sydney and most parts of NSW exposed to extremely high temperatures. Last week in Newcastle the temperature was ridiculously high. I don't think it dropped below 35c for a week, with a few days well above 40c.

We have seen many different parts of Victoria hit by flooding, and at different times.

And now we see at least 60 homes destroyed by bushfires on the outskirts of Perth in Western Australia.

In isolation probably not too much different to what other parts of the world have at times had to deal with. But when you realise this is all happening at once then you start see a bit of difference.

However the one commonality surrounding all of these natural occurrences is the resilience of the Australian people.

Resilience is the ability to return to the original form after being bent, stretched or compressed.

Well that's the dictionary's definition.

For mine, it's the ability to readily recover, to bounce back from setbacks, to overcome obstacles, to work though injury, to recover from ill health and to survive adversity.

But what is resiliency all about?

It is about self discipline. It takes a lot to do the things that have to be done and not get caught up in the emotion of what may or may not happen. It takes great discipline to stick to the things you have to do, rather than the things you want to do.

It takes great discipline to block out the negativity around you. It takes great discipline to not listen to that little voice inside your head that tells you that you are getting a raw deal, or why is this happening to you. It takes great discipline to stay focussed on the task at hand.

It takes great discipline to deal with the fear and anxiety surrounding what you have to go through, but find purpose in overcoming that fear and anxiety by knowing things will be good if you do what is right.

It takes skill to know what is right, but it takes something a whole lot more to actually be able to do the right thing.
It's also all about independence and self reliance.

Resiliency teaches us that wether what happened was our fault or not is inconsequential. What makes it right is your responsibility. It takes a lot of character and courage not to go down the self pity, lay blame 'why did this happen to me' scenario.

Resiliency requires independence. However resiliency also requires intra-dependence.

That is; you know that although you are responsible and it is ultimately up to you. That you recognise that you will require the help of others. Therefore, your selection of people becomes vital, as does your ability to place trust in them, by letting them do what they need to do to help you.

Resiliency requires perspective. Where are things at and where do I want them to go? What needs to be done and by whom? What timelines do I have? What happens if this happens? All of these questions and situations require understanding and perspective of the highest calibre.

Resiliency requires enterprise. That is the need to take control of the situation and do it in a way that requires energy and effort.  Open minded thinking. Enterprise to realise what it takes to get this back to where it should be and beyond.

Resiliency requires imagination. Where am I at and what do I have to do to go forward? You are open minded to what it will take to get the job done.

Resiliency requires principle. That is; that there is an easy way, a hard way and the right way to deal with things.The truth is their only really one way, and that is to do the things the right way.

That is; by following the principles of character that have guided you though life. The lessons and ideals that were taught to you by your parents and family.

In the end, though resiliency is about turning what others call failure or insurmountable into success.

Resiliency is about the ideology of never giving up. Resiliency is about doing what it takes to get done and to get it done the right way.

Therefore, resiliency is not a part time thought, it is a full time action.

And the people of this country have heaps of it.

The Journey Continues!

P.S Some of this was taken from my December 2009 newsletter article on Resilience.