Resilience From the Big & Small

Survival isn’t as easy as Hollywood makes it seem. As Kendra Cherry puts it, “people vary dramatically in the coping skills they use” which is why no one is guaranteed to react a certain way. Fortunately for Louie, he possesses the skills described by Kendra Cherry. All though, each skill was used from the time the crew crashed, to when they were picked up, one stood out as being the most crucial to their survival. It was the skill that Kendra called internal locus of control. If Louis had not been aware of his own mindset and how his decisions could result in either death or survival, people might not even know their story today. Although I have never been in such an extreme situation like this, it is the same skill I find myself using whilst at my job at Popeyes.

An internal locus of control was defined as a person believing their actions will affect the outcome of a situation. It is this exact coping skill, that is required to get through work every day. For some ungodly reason, HMS Host hires the most incompetent people who don’t actually work. In the past, I have pumped out all of the dishes in an hour and a half which included everything from throughout the entire day. After I headed over to see the progress my fellow coworker had made and he was on his phone and had accomplished nothing. There are often nights when it is like this. I have to choose to believe that if I do something, certain coworkers will actually work so we can get out on time. If I don’t tell myself that what I’m doing is going to change others work ethic, the thought process is “what’s the point.” From there, it is just negativity and lack of patients. I try to be Louis, but Mac with his “broken spirit” is all remains after enough people choose to bring others down. In reality, the only thing that gets me through a workday is an internal locus of control because it truly makes me feel like I’m making a difference while easing the stress of it all away.

In total, Kendra Cherry defined resilience with certain coping skills. These skills showed through with Louis, Mac, and Phil, but it was only one that resonated with me. An internal locus of control that was heavily displayed by Louis that led to their own survival and the motivation to keep going. The familiarity is real with my relationship with work and the people by my side. Whether or not someone is a war hero or just a fast food worker, resilience is the shines through that allows people, in the worst of times, to carry on making a difference for the ones around us.

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