***Post Written by Dr. Bob Bayuk, Northwest Representative for WSPA***

To be successful in SOME elements of life, each of us needs a minimum of all the skills taught in a traditional school setting: ‘Readin’, ‘Ritin’, and ‘Rithmetic’.  To be successful in ALL elements of life, each of us needs these character skills: resilience and grit.  Resilience and grit are what makes us strong every day.  Resilience means you have to be able to bounce back from adversity, criticism, and failure.  Resilience is based upon strengthening the following: emotional awareness and control, controlling our impulses. Being realistically optimistic, being flexible thinkers, believing in ourselves, being empathetic, and reaching out.  Grit means that we can stand and face adversity.  What makes us successful on a daily basis is being able to understand the day to day problems that need to be solved.  That takes the three Rs.  To be successful in the world of work and in our families requires resilience and grit.  Every culture throughout history in every corner of the globe honors the character traits of resilience and grit.  Our world community needs us to strengthen and share these foundation stones of character.  Strengthening resilience and fostering grit and determination, all in the face of the adversity around us, can be taught!  Taught in school.  Taught in the community.  Taught at home.  We all must join together and carry each other into the future – strong and ready to take on any challenge in our global community.