Reading time: 5 min

This is part 3 of the 4-week series. If you missed the intro, check it here, or learn more about agency and new ideas.

We’ve all heard the story of Edison’s failed attempts. In the 1870s, while working on the light bulb, he tested thousands of filaments that failed or burned out. It wasn't until he tried a simple carbonized bamboo thread (which lasted over 1,200 hours) that he finally lit up the world.

In the 1990s, J.K. Rowling was a single mom with almost no money. She wrote a wizard story, but faced 12 publishers’ rejections, claiming children's fantasy would never sell. Then one publisher's young daughter read the first chapters and loved it. She convinced her dad to publish Harry Potter.

Even YouTube started in 2005 as a video dating site with the slogan "Tune In, Hook Up." When almost no one used it, the founders pivoted, letting anyone upload any short clip. That’s how the video “Me at the zoo” turned YouTube into what we know today.

We note these stories as proof of resilience, but I’d argue there is a ton of luck involved.

It makes me wonder:

It’s a happy coincidence that I’m writing about resilience on Women’s Day. Happy day to all the ladies here, may your lives be filled with grace, love, and good people!

I realized this piece feels different from the others. The subject is more introspective. How do we design daily practices to build resilience without turning inward? While some argue we build resilience through exposure, I would add meaning.

If we associate resilience only with pain, it becomes a burden. A wise idea I heard says: We all experience pain, but we don’t necessarily have to suffer. Suffering is a choice shaped by meaning. To me, resilience is the deliberate decision to accept temporary pain without leaning into suffering.

To build that rejection muscle, I like Tim Ferriss’s coffee challenge. When buying coffee, ask: "Could I get 10% off?" with no explanation. The goal is to sit in the awkwardness and risk a more likely NO. It’s a mental reframing, learning to celebrate rejection by cutting the string between outcomes and personal worth.

I’ll leave you with a thought from Dr. K (Alok Kanojia) on discipline. He says that real discipline isn't about forcing yourself through pain, but acting from alignment with who you want to become.

We should shift from seeing resilience as "how much pain can I tolerate?" to "how aligned are my actions with my values?".

I’d say real resilience is external action backed by solid internal alignment. The ability to focus on the process regardless of how you feel in the moment.

The most important HOW: gratefulness and grace

It is the most powerful source to recharge.

One exercise I’ve started: when I catch myself complaining, I stop and find 3 things that make me smile.

You can always take the grumpy path, but who really wants that?

I took my Event in a Box idea to the next level and vibecoded an app with the same name.

What is it? An AI event operator that takes a concept to a full package. Not another ChatGPT, but an AI with the right event-planning know-how.

The Tech: Cursor + Claude + Vercel.

Check it out: eventinabox.vercel.app

This is an MVP, but the process taught me 3 things:

In-person events and experiences will grow as a response to more AI in our lives.

Humans are still the orchestrators. AI is the feature, but human thinking is the engine.

Confidence is leverage. A key skill is telling stories with confidence, both to the world and to yourself.

Have an amazing week, full of resilience and gratefulness,
Silvia