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Growing on the Rock: How Resilience Helps Us Thrive
Have you ever seen a plant growing out of a rock? It seems impossible, right? How can something so delicate grow without soil, without the usual support that most plants need? Yet, there it is - pushing through the cracks, reaching for the sun, and thriving against all odds. This plant is a perfect example of resilience, or the ability to adapt and keep going, even when things seem tough.
This idea of resilience can be compared to how we, as humans, face challenges in our own lives. Like that plant, we sometimes find ourselves in difficult situations that feel impossible to overcome. But just like Charles Darwin said in The Origin of Species, survival isn’t about being the strongest or the smartest - it’s about being able to adapt. He wrote, “It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change.” The key to thriving, he argued, is being able to adjust to the changes and challenges life throws at us.
The Resilience of the Plant on the Rock
The plant growing on the rock teaches us a lot about resilience. It’s growing in a place where survival seems impossible - there’s no soil, and the conditions are tough. But this plant doesn’t fight against the rock - it works with it. It sends its roots into the cracks, finding water where it can. It uses its environment to its advantage, instead of being defeated by it.
We were given one such plant by a client – this was a metaphor for her journey of recovery. It did well for a few days and then the leaves started falling off one by one. We were beside ourselves – we had managed to kill it! But then slowly we noticed that it was fighting back, growing small leaves a little at a time. It’s now flourishing after the initial shock of being in an airconditioned office. What resilience!
In the same way, we may face tough situations in life. Things don’t always go the way we want them to. But like that plant, we can learn to adjust. Resilience is not about avoiding hardship - it’s about facing it, adapting, and finding ways to grow through it.
My family 3 years after we arrived in Australia.
For me, resilience is something very personal. When I was two years old, my family migrated from Greece to Australia. We didn’t speak English, and we arrived with only a couple of suitcases. My parents didn’t know many people here, they had no job and had spent all their money flying themselves, my granny and me out here (£1000 – at the time this was the cost of 1/4 of a house) and they had no idea what the future would look like. But there was one thing we did know: we were looking for a better life. (P.S. They had to borrow the £ but managed to pay it back in 2 years).
Like that plant growing on the rock, we didn’t have the perfect conditions to start with – there were many tears. But we adapted. My parents worked hard, learned English, and did whatever it took to build a better life for us. Over time, they created a new home for us in a foreign land. That’s resilience - when life gives you tough situations, you adjust, you adapt, and you keep moving forward.
Resilience in Humans: Adapting to Life’s Challenges
Resilience in psychology is often described as the ability to bounce back from difficult situations. But it’s more than just recovering - it’s about using challenges as an opportunity to grow. Resilient people don’t just get through tough times; they learn from them and come out stronger.
The secret to resilience is flexibility, not resistance. Just like the plant growing on the rock, we can adjust to our environment, even if it’s tough. When we face problems, we might need to change how we think or how we approach things. But the key is not to fight against the challenge, but to figure out how we can use it to grow.
Darwin’s Lesson: Adaptation Is Key to Survival
Darwin’s quote reminds us that survival isn’t about being the strongest or the smartest - it’s about being able to adapt. In nature, animals and plants that can’t adjust to their environment may not survive. The same is true for humans. When we face challenges in life, those who can adjust, learn, and find new ways to cope are the ones who thrive.
This doesn’t mean we should just accept everything that happens to us. It means that when life gets hard, we need to look for ways to change how we react and how we think. Like the plant that finds a way to survive in a rock, we can find ways to thrive in difficult circumstances. It might take time, and it might require learning new skills or letting go of old expectations, but we can adapt.
Final Thoughts: Resilience as a Skill
Resilience isn’t something we’re born with - it’s a skill we can develop over time.
Just like the plant that adapts to grow in a tough environment, we have the ability to adjust to life’s challenges. Darwin’s idea that the key to survival is being able to adapt holds true for us as well. Life won’t always be easy, but by being flexible and open to change, we can get through tough times and come out stronger.
The next time you face a difficult situation, think of that plant growing on the rock. It’s not fighting against the odds - it’s figuring out how to make them work. Just like my family did when we came to Australia, we all have the power to adapt, grow, and thrive, even when life feels hard.
