Challenge, Change and Complexity.

Dr. Taryn Marie was a determined 8-year-old. Early on, she struggled to read, but instead of letting her failing grades detour her, she allowed them to motivate her to do better. That’s the first life lesson: Never let anyone else tell you that you can’t do it. Taryn resolved to ascend from the lowest reading group to the highest reading group in her class. She studied hard every night, focusing on learning the jumble of vowels and consonants that beguiled her. Her hard work did pay off. She learned her way to the top reading group, but more importantly, she learned something about herself. “I stayed disciplined, and I chose to believe in what was possible,” Taryn reflects. “And by the end of that semester, I had achieved my goal to join our class’s highest reading group. But that's actually not the end of the story. Thirty years later I decided to get tested for a learning disability and found that I was profoundly dyslexic.”

This revelation about the challenge she had to overcome in her childhood uncovered a deep truth about the determination in all of us. Some of us face incredible odds just to get through a reading class, or a physical fitness test. Many times, those obstacles, like a learning disability, are invisible. What Taryn realized is that challenges are a force that shape all of us. That is, if we let them. “Nobody complains about having had to learn how to walk,” she says. “Because we know it is worth it.” Every challenge is like that. Some seem unfair, but all difficulties that are places in our paths are preparing us for triumphs we would not experience had we not had the mentor of challenge.

Change works the same way. It requires us to seek solutions, to find strength within ourselves to adapt. New schools, new jobs, new neighborhoods, new friends all require us to learn new ways, of not only coping, but flourishing. “Resilience is in our DNA,” Taryn says. And we learn it a little at a time. First, as that toddler collapsing over and over to the floor until we get our legs to obey our desires. As we get older, it is a little harder to see our way through The Big 3 C’s: Life gets more complex. And that is the third C. Challenge. Change. Complexity. And what do we learn?

Resilience. “Resilience is actually the essence of being human,” Taryn teaches. “So if you've ever felt like you’re not good enough, remember: challenge, change, and complexity are the fabric of our lives, but resilience is the essence of who we are as humans. If you’re asking yourself if you can overcome your next challenge, the answer is, ‘Absolutely. Yes!”

Resilience. Pass it on.com

Listen to PassItOn's new Podcast with  Dr. Taryn Marie Stejskal, a world-renowned expert in resilience, mental health, and well-being, share powerful insights about the fundamental human capacity for resilience. Beginning with her personal story of overcoming dyslexia in the 3rd grade, Taryn reveals how resilience is not just something we need—it's actually part of our DNA. Through extensive research interviewing hundreds of people about their life's challenges, she discovered that while challenge, change, and complexity are an inevitable part of everyone's life, our inherent resilience gives us the tools to face them successfully.

Resilience Within: Discovering Your Inner Strength, Part 1

Listen to Podcast here: https://www.passiton.com/inspirational-audio-stories/30-resilience-within-discovering-your-inner-strength-part-1

This episode offers a refreshing perspective: resilience isn't about avoiding struggle, but rather about developing the skills to struggle well, turning trials into triumphs, and ultimately building a foundation for better mental health, stronger relationships, and greater happiness.