Awareness, belonging, curiosity and drive – four heuristics for helping ease the cognitive load on decision making from Dr Alia Bojilova.
A is for awareness
That includes understanding of yourself, understanding of others around you and of your situation. Appreciating that our minds get distracted and scattered by all sorts of different things. If we want to build and broaden our resilience, we need to be really selective around what we pay attention to. So that awareness in the moment of ourselves and our opportunity is the starting point.
B is for belonging
Many of us think that we have to be fixed to the circumstances we find ourselves in, be those that we are born into or that we have arrived at. But belonging for resilience is more about the vision that you have for yourself, the outcomes that you wish to achieve for yourself and for those around you. It centres more on your own personal values and beliefs. The ability to ground oneself into your own personal strength is what belonging is about and knowing that you can locate that no matter where you are. It’s not something that depends on other people or particular props or crutches. It’s something that we have to find within ourselves.
C is for curiosity
This is Bojilova’s favourite because it turns woe to wonder. It’s allowing ourselves to wonder positively a whole lot more. “I wonder whether, I wonder why, I wonder how, I wonder what.” That alone helps us to look away from situations of stuckness.
D is for drive
We tend to think drive and motivation has to be summoned from some place. But maintaining the momentum towards a better self or better version of life comes from our purpose. Many of us expect that life should feel better, but we don’t know clearly in what direction and in what way if it’s not intertwined with a kind of authentic purpose. There are so many opportunities for each of us to be more fulfilled with everything else that is going on around us. Purpose precedes drive is the important message here.
Click here to read more from Dr Alia Bojilova about The ABCD Of Resilience.
