A story about the power of resilience.
Caleb Collins, the youngest cactus in the Collins family, wondered if he would be able to make it through the drought. See how he does it and thrives!
The Collins family were proud cacti. Although all cacti in the area were known to be able to withstand the terrible Arizona droughts, the Collins family believed they had special strengths.
“What makes us different from all the other cacti, mom?” asked Caleb.
“Well, honey,” started his mom, “the Collins family has always been resilient.” She continued, “Even when the droughts became unbearable for other families, we’ve always managed to pull through.”
And during the rainy season, Caleb began to realize why. He noticed his parents used a special technique for storing water.
As the rain came pouring down, Caleb’s mom and dad forced their pores open and collected as much water as possible. Caleb knew they were on to something, so he decided to follow suit.
When the drought hit, the Collins family started using up their water stores like everyone else. But when it got really hard to stay hydrated, Caleb’s parents reached deep down and pulled up their water reserves.
Again, he mimicked what they did and realized that he was now more hydrated than the other cacti around. “Wow, we really are resilient cacti!” exclaimed Caleb. “I thought we would dry up and wither, but you guys showed me how to reach for my reserves and fuel myself from within.”
“Yes, son,” said his dad. “Even when the situation you’re in seems impossible to beat, always trust and believe in your ability to persevere.”
From that point on, Caleb showed resilience in anything he set his mind to achieve.
Moral of the story: When you have resilience, you have the strength to overcome the toughest situations.
The Confident Cactus Self-Reflection
With each changing season, the Collins family never knew what to expect. In many cases, the new year’s dry season was worse than the one before. They knew that, in order to stay hydrated, they would have to show resilience.
Their example of finding the strength to dig deep encouraged Caleb to do the same.
Sometimes, the circumstance that you’re faced with seems insurmountable. You look at your situation in fear and give up before you even try to beat it. But the truth is you always have enough fight in you to win even the toughest battles.
Self-belief is the answer to questions about your ability to pull yourself up and out of a challenging situation.
Although you feel like you’re using your last ounce of strength, there’s always a little more to rely on.
Being confident means knowing that you have the answers even when they’re not readily apparent to you.
It means knowing that even the longest journey from the starting point to the destination consists of a series of steps. Putting one foot before the other makes any goal feel within reach.
Self-Reflection Questions:
- Which personal situations require my resilience?
- How do I know when to reach for the support of my friends and family?
- How do I get the strength to get past an emotionally difficult experience?