What is Resilience? Insights from James Ketchell

Resilience is often described as the ability to bounce back from adversity, setbacks, or challenges. In today's fast-paced and unpredictable world, developing resilience is not just beneficial—it’s essential.

Today, we hear from one of our motivational speakers, James Ketchell, who is no stranger to adversity. James Ketchell is a record-breaking adventurer and motivational speaker, known for completing extraordinary feats like rowing the Atlantic, summiting Everest, cycling 18,000 miles, and circumnavigating the globe in a gyrocopter. Overcoming a life-changing motorcycle accident, he inspires others with his resilience and drive, as he prepares for his next world-first endeavour by sea in 2025.

As I sit here writing this on October 22nd, it marks one month since I set off on my third circumnavigation of the planet, this time sailing solo around the world. The mission was to take children on a virtual journey, encouraging them to pursue their own goals and dreams. Additionally, upon completing my third circumnavigation, I would become the first person to circumnavigate the globe by air, sea, and land, having already flown and cycled around the world.

So, as you can imagine, I was quite frustrated when, after two days at sea, the boat developed a technical problem that forced me to stop. Due to delays with parts and a weather window slipping by, I had no choice but to postpone until 2025. Having worked full-time on this project for over two years and raised hundreds of thousands of pounds in sponsorship—by far the hardest part—I was frustrated. However, this was not my first rodeo; I have faced just as many setbacks as I have successes.

What Does Resilience Mean?

For me, resilience involves maintaining a positive attitude and adapting to difficult circumstances. It's about how we respond to stress, change, and adversity. Resilient individuals are not those who never experience difficulties but rather those who manage to navigate tough times with determination and optimism. One of my favourite sayings is, “It’s a state of mind.”

In professional settings, resilience is particularly important. It enables individuals to handle workplace challenges, manage stress, and maintain productivity. Organisations benefit from a resilient workforce as it encourages creativity, collaboration, and overall job satisfaction.

How to Build Resilience

Here are several actionable strategies to enhance your resilience.

1.   Develop the Right State of Mind
When I was getting ready to row solo across the Atlantic Ocean, I was nervous and scared. The night before my departure I spoke to a gentleman who must have been almost in his seventies, he had sailed around the world and rowed across the Atlantic. He told me that if I could get through the first three days, I could survive three months. He explained the importance of breaking it down and that the whole task, in his words was “It’s All Mental” from that moment on I have realised almost everything we do in life is about having the right state of mind. A positive outlook is, in my opinion, the foundation of resilience. Developing a mindset that focuses on solutions rather than problems can shift your perspective. I practice gratitude by acknowledging what I appreciate and already have in my life, the experiences I’ve had, and the things I look forward to.

2.   Understand What You Can and Can’t Control
In 2015 I found myself clinging to the side of a 100,000-ton crude oil tanker in the middle of the Indian Ocean, my rowing partner and I needed to be rescued. I had not expected this to happen, it was also a hazardous situation to be in, we made it to safety, but on reflection it was the first of many life lessons I’ve had when I realised that a great deal of things that happen in life are out of our control. Resilience involves accepting that change is a part of life. Instead of resisting it, try to embrace it. Understanding this will help you adapt more easily to new circumstances and challenges.

3.   Surround Yourself with the Right People
Having supportive people around you is crucial for resilience. Surround yourself with individuals who want the best for you, who support you, and whom you can turn to for advice. Whether it’s family, friends, or colleagues, being around supportive people is critical. You are shaped by those you spend time with more than you may realise. If you don’t feel you’re around the right people, start networking and taking steps to meet new ones. When I was getting ready to fly a gyrocopter around the world, it did not go unnoticed to me that some individuals were quite negative, some even telling me that it wasn’t possible. Thankfully I realised that these people were not really qualified to be telling me this, they had a little bit of flying experience but thought they had a lot more than they did. It was a few people who had a vast amount of experience that told me it would be possible if I followed certain rules to not get into potentially dangerous situations while flying. It really opened my mind to the importance of having the right people around me. So many people give up on things because someone who wasn’t even qualified to share their opinion told them it was a bad idea.

4.   Prioritise Well-Being
One of the most important factors that has helped me become more resilient is daily exercise and eating healthy food 90% of the time. This is a huge contributor to how I deal with stress, change, and difficult situations. When I prioritise my well-being, I find that problems don’t faze me as much; they bounce off with little or no negative impact. It amazes me that people don’t make time for this—if you want to perform at a high level, you must prioritise your well-being. I learnt this when cycling around the world. I had many days when I didn’t feel like getting on the bike in the morning, but by lunchtime, I was feeling amazing; everyone is different, but for me personally, exercise and healthy eating are the foundation for everything I do.

5.   Learn from Experience
Every setback I’ve had has offered some lesson, even if it didn’t feel that way at the time. I often reflect on past experiences, and the lessons become clear. This helps me see failures as opportunities. In my younger years, I would often make the same mistakes multiple times; now, I recognise the importance of learning from experience. In my early preparations to fly around the world, I met someone who said he would sponsor the aircraft. When the aircraft was built and it was time to pay the bill he had changed his mind, leaving me in a challenging position. I learnt to qualify opportunities, if it sounds too good to be true it probably is! Secondly, when I did find another sponsor, I paid for the aircraft upfront, so the same thing could not happen again.

6.   Have a Purpose
At the moment, my purpose is to work towards my goal of sailing around the world and inspiring young people to get out and try new things. This is by far the most complex project I have ever embarked on, technically and financially. Working toward a goal is crucial for direction and clarity of mind. Whether personal, fitness, or career-related, having a goal provides direction and purpose, making you more resilient in challenging times. Larger goals can be broken down into smaller, manageable steps to prevent feeling overwhelmed and to reduce anxiety.

7.   Create a Problem-Solving Mindset and Have a Plan
Resilience is closely linked to effective problem-solving. Improving your ability to analyse problems and generate solutions will give you the confidence to tackle difficult situations. Having a plan for how you want to deal with challenges is essential. Anticipating potential problems and being prepared to deal with adversity will help you remain calm and composed.  Almost every time I took off when I flew around the world, I had multiple alternative destinations and procedures in place if something unexpected happened. The next time you get on a commercial plane, if there is any problem you can think of, I can almost guarantee it would have already been planned out and a procedure put in place to deal with that situation if it was to play out.

8.   Seek a Mentor
I have had a few mentors over the years and continue to do so. Turning to a trusted person for advice, especially someone with more experience, can greatly aid your personal and professional development. Being open to continuous learning contributes to resilience. I used to be dismissive of mentorship, but it often provides a different perspective, which can be all that’s needed to navigate a difficult situation.

9.   Consistency is Key
Resilience requires commitment and consistency. I’d like to share a quote: “Consistency does not guarantee success, but inconsistency guarantees failure.” This sums up the importance of being consistent. Personally, over the years. I have observed many different people who want to embark on something new, they are naturally not very good at it, but the one thing going for them is they are consistent, and sure enough, over time, they start to make progress, and given a long enough time frame they are doing better than the people that are naturally good but for whatever reason are unable to string any real consistency together.

Why is Resilience Important?

Building resilience is a lifelong journey that is always evolving. By developing the right state of mind, surrounding yourself with supportive people, and working on coping strategies, it is entirely possible to become a more resilient individual.