Building Hope in Desperate Times: Finding Resilience in the Face of Crisis

"Any deep crisis is an opportunity to make your life extraordinary in some way."
—Martha Beck

In Chinese, the word for crisis is composed of two compelling characters: wei (危), meaning danger, and ji (機), meaning a point of change or opportunity. As a child, I grew up saying wei ji effortlessly, never pausing to consider its deeper meaning—it was simply part of the language, something I took for granted.

That changed one day during a conversation with Clive Robbins, cofounder of the Nordoff-Robbins Center for Music Therapy at NYU. He shared how much he admired the Chinese perspective of weaving danger and opportunity together to define a crisis. His words struck me like a lightning bolt. I paused, reflecting on wei ji again, and realized the profound wisdom my ancestors had embedded within the language.

Little did I know that this wisdom had been quietly anchoring me through my greatest personal crises as a young professional. Even in moments when I saw no possibilities on the horizon, I could choose to reframe my mindset—to recognize crisis as a turning point rather than an endpoint.

Crisis is a Catalyst for Change and Growth—If We Know How to Befriend Our Fear and Reframe Our Mindset

Resilience is not about choosing the path of least resistance—it’s about getting the support we need so we exercise our resilience muscles and excavate the wisdom that already exists within us. The moments that makes us feel impossible serve as catalysts that shape who we are, what we stand for, and what we are truly capable of. When we recognize that crisis carries both danger and opportunity, we empower ourselves to move forward instead of remaining stuck in fear—fear that reaps no rewards.

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If this resonates with you, I invite you to continue this journey with me. Sign up for my newsletter to receive insights on resilience, leadership, and personal transformation—or reach out to explore how we can work together.