resilience

After living in Honduras for more than 2 1/2 years, I have heard many comments along the lines of "but how can you live in Honduras so long" or "I don't know how you do it" or "I could never do what you do."

And the honest truth is: I don't really know how I do it either! It's not always fun. It's hardly ever easy. I miss a lot of things living away from friends and family, and some days it adds up to a lot of stress.

I was reading an interesting report on international workers (here called humanitarian workers) and what enhances their resilience and drives them to stick with it--even when its hard; or why in some cases, people get burned out and make a major career change. It is interesting to read this study and consider what is it that brought me here. What is it that keeps me fueled for the work that I do? And what sustains me mentally and emotionally to keep on keeping-on?

Purpose, meaning, and loving a challenge:
“It helps if you believe in the purpose, but after a while that’s not enough. For many people that’ll get you a year, maybe two, before you’re close to burnout. That’s when you need people to genuinely enjoy many aspects of the job on top of believing that it’s meaningful. They need to love the challenge of actually doing the work and trying to deliver assistance to people who really need it despite all the hindrances in the way  - government, bad security, organizational constraints, budget limitations, broken equipment, cross cultural miscommunications, feeling caught at a perpetual cross-roads between the urgencies of the field and the eternal demands from headquarters. You really have to love being challenged – maybe not every day, but most days."

Adapting beliefs (sounds wishy-washy, but stay with me):
"How humanitarian workers  hold  and  change their beliefs also appears to be relevant to resilience. It is virtually impossible to witness suffering, violence, and great human need without having your beliefs and expectations about how the world “should” work challenged, and you only have a few options in the face of this sort of ambiguity and pressure. You can shore up your beliefs and attitudes to the point where they become rigid. You can become more able to manage ambiguity and nuance. Or you can abandon these beliefs altogether."

Learning (til your brain hurts):
"Humanitarian workers who were most resilient were described as those who take on the attitude of a learner and are not unduly threatened by having some of their important beliefs and ideas challenged. They are the people who find a way to temper their idealism with pragmatism, yet not loose that idealism altogether. They are the people who can acknowledge and recognize what they themselves are getting out of this work – how they are growing and learning  – rather than those who claim they are only in it to serve others. They are the ones able to see and tolerate shades of grey around issues that may have once appeared a crisp black and white. “Being professional is not about being jaded. It’s about growing out of naive idealism and still maintaining integrity of purpose.”

Support network (a.k.a. real friends!)
"There is no single factor that will make you resilient, but good relationships may be about as close as we can come to a silver bullet. Supportive relationships that extend beyond mere acquaintances – knowing that you are part of a community of people who care for you and think well of you – is crucial. “It’s just so clear that resilient people are those who can attach and have strong relationships– both global networks and the ability to create some sort of connection and support wherever you are at the moment.”

There is something deeper that called me here, and something bigger than me that keeps me here. I couldn't be here if I wasn't at peace about God wanting me to be in this place--and there are many other factors that give me the resilience to withstand a lot of difficult things about living in Honduras. In reality, it is a whole mix of these things mentioned above: a hunger to learn new things; (often, not always) enjoying a challenge; and having people around you to support you in all of the ups and downs (you know who you are!).

*text quoted from McKay, Lisa. "Resilience" Building Resilient Managers in Humanitarian Organizations: Strengthening Key Organizational Structures and Personal Skills that Promote Resilience in Challenging Environments. People in Aid.