Indian Resiliency

We just finished watching the World's Fastest Indian which is a true story about Burt Munroe, a New Zealander, who brought his motorcycle (the Indian) all the way to the Salt Flats of Bonneville to participate in Speed Week. The part of the story that struck me the most, besides the speeding on the bike and other stuff, is his passion and single-minded goal-getting attitude.

Recently I attended a work-seminar called Resiliency in the Workplace (or something to that effect) which focused on building a resilient mindset - both in the office and at home. The key take-away is that bad stuff happens to everyone - rich, poor, black, white, everbody (you get the point). But the difference is in how you handle the situation - how you explain the situation to yourself (it's all my fault I'm no good or I tried my best but stuff happens, let me try again), how you react (pick yourself up again) and how you learn from your mistakes and make corrections.

People who are resilient have a knack of looking at the positive side of even the worse events and instead of giving up, look for opportunities and workarounds; they keep knocking on that door (to the extent of sounding naggy) until either someone opens it or the hinges come off.

If Burt Munroe didn't try as hard as he did, he wouldn't have made it into the record books (his 1962 record still stands today). His aim was not so much to actually set the record but to accomplish a goal - he was willing to die trying. He had to overcome so many obstacles, challenges that would have made most people just pack up and go home.

This is truly an inspirational movie that would set you thinking about life, family, work in a truly different way. Also, you can pick up some New Zealander accent tips from Anthony Hopkins - quite convincing :)