If you are like me, you may experience seasons in life when it feels like nothing is going the way it should. The job you wanted slips away. A relationship ends. A long-planned goal suddenly falls apart. You or a family member experiences a serious health related issue. Natural disasters such as floods, fires and hurricanes uproot you and your family. Whatever it is, something or someone gets in the way of you reaching your goal. In those moments it is easy to feel defeated, to wonder why you even bother pushing forward when the world seems determined to push back.

This is where resilience steps in. Resilience is not about pretending everything is fine or forcing a smile when your heart is heavy. It is about cultivating the inner strength to bend without breaking. It is about finding a way to keep moving when the path feels blocked.

Resilience matters because it gives us room to adapt. We may not be able to control the situation, but we can control our response to it. Instead of being paralyzed by setbacks, resilience helps us adjust course, rethink our approach, and take the next step forward—even if it is small.

It also helps us uncover meaning in hardship. Challenges can be painful, but they can also teach us who we are, what matters most, and where we can grow. Resilience does not erase struggle, but it allows us to transform it into something that shapes us rather than breaks us. This has really helped me stay the course. Instead of dwelling on what went wrong, blaming myself and others or falling into depression, I reflect on what I learned about myself, others, and the world. I also consider how these new ah ha moments will influence decisions I make in the future.

If you have ever had a chance to visit St. Louis and tour one of America’s iconic landmarks – the Gateway Arch, you know that the Arch was a bold vision of progress, designed to honor the pioneering spirit of the American people. When you take the small elevator capsule to the top of the over six hundred feet structure, you can see for miles. It’s truly amazing!

However, construction was no small feat. Two massive legs of stainless steel were built simultaneously, curving upward toward each other with astonishing precision. The plan was that, at the very top, one final piece would connect the two sides—sealing the Arch forever as a monument to ambition, engineering, and artistry.

And then came the decisive moment.

As the final piece was lifted into place, something went wrong: it did not fit.

Imagine the panic. Years of planning, months of backbreaking labor, and the world watching—and the keystone piece was misaligned. The legs were ever so slightly off. At that height, under that pressure, it could have meant failure.

But here is where the story shifts from a construction challenge to a life lesson. The builders did not throw up their hands. They did not declare the project doomed, blame each other or tear down the structure. Instead, they adapted. Engineers realized the legs had expanded in the sun. To solve the problem, they sprayed water on the steel, cooling it just enough to shrink the structure by fractions of an inch. Hydraulic jacks were used to nudge the legs into alignment. With patience, creativity, and teamwork, the final section slid perfectly into place.

The Arch was complete.

Today, millions of people visit it each year, marveling at its beauty. Almost no one remembers the drama of those last tense hours when the Arch “didn’t fit.” What endures is not the problem—but the triumph.

Maybe you are at a point in your own journey where your “last piece” is not fitting. You have invested time, energy, and hope into something or someone—and just when you thought success was within reach, you have hit a wall. It is frustrating. It is exhausting. And it is tempting to believe the whole effort might have been wasted. I’ve had seasons in my life and career when the “last piece” felt impossible to fit. Moments of change, of doubt, of exhaustion. But when I look back, I realize those moments didn’t define the story—they refined it. They forced me to grow, to adapt, and to see challenges as steppingstones rather than stumbling blocks.

So, remember the Arch. What feels misaligned right now might only require a small adjustment, a creative solution, or the patience to ride out a moment of difficulty. And when you push through, the story you tell will not be about the problem, it will be about the triumph.

Because in the end, the most enduring monuments in life, whether they are made of steel, or built through our choices, relationships, and work—are not remembered for the struggles it took to finish them. They are remembered because we finished them anyway.

Take care of yourself and each other!

Resilience

Ageing

Comfort