Resilience is a practice

It’s easy to imagine that we should do our work and then, when it doesn’t work as we hope, improvise to fix it.

But perhaps our work is to show up ready and willing to deal with a future we didn’t expect.

I keep writing about it because we all need to keep thinking about it. Especially me.

My friend Ava curated this list:

Resilience is a commitment to a design, [something] that works even when things don’t turn out the way we planned. – https://seths.blog/2021/03/resilience-3/

Resilience is what happens when we’re able to move forward even when things don’t fit together the way we expect. https://seths.blog/2019/03/resilience-and-tolerances/
One way to ensure that things work out…is to embrace the fact that nothing is ever exactly on spec, and to build resilient systems. https://seths.blog/2019/03/resilience-and-tolerances/
While precision feels like the way forward, resilience, the ability to thrive when things go wrong, is a much safer bet. https://seths.blog/2019/03/resilience-and-tolerances/

Magic isn’t reliable. On purpose. That’s what makes it magic. – https://seths.blog/2017/08/resilience-and-the-high-end/

Do the best [you] can in small ways…to start moving forward. And when it doesn’t work, try something else. – https://seths.blog/2016/11/resilience/

Resilience is a skill, one that’s probably more valuable than most. – https://seths.blog/2016/01/resilience-2/

Resilience. Given how important it is, it’s surprising we don’t hire for it. – https://seths.blog/2016/01/resilience-2/

…Invest in resilience, to build systems that can handle (or even thrive) when the unforeseen happens. – https://seths.blog/2015/06/control-or-resilience/

It’s a journey, not an event, and working in asynchronous batches is a smart way to stay resilient. – https://seths.blog/2015/01/planning-on-resilience/

Resilience isn’t a bet on one outcome, instead, it’s an investment across a range of possible outcomes, a way to ensure that regardless of what actually occurs (within the range), you’ll do fine. – https://seths.blog/2014/01/accuracy-resilience-and-denial/
A crazy world is certain to get crazier…Hence the need for resilience, for the ability to survive and thrive in the face of change. https://seths.blog/2013/04/in-search-of-resilience/
The choice is to build something that’s perfect for today, or to build something that lasts. – https://seths.blog/2013/04/in-search-of-resilience/

But complex systems are more resilient when we build in the diagnostics for failure from the start. – https://seths.blog/2025/07/diagnostics/

The work of an individual who cares often exposes the grit and determination and effort that it takes to be present. – https://seths.blog/2012/11/effortless/

The disciplined, resilient approach is to go your own speed, regardless of the incline. – https://seths.blog/2025/06/uphill-and-downhill-challenges/
What truly changes the game is when an organization decides to commit to being better at being better. That’s hard to do and difficult to compete against. – https://seths.blog/2024/12/better-at-being-better/
Resilience and frequency increase the chances that the break we are hoping for will arrive when we need it. The resilience to keep at it so that we can live with later instead of sooner. – https://seths.blog/2022/12/sooner-or-later-3/
The only part of a launch that should be live is the part that benefits from being live. Everything else ought to be in a batch, reserved, asynchronous and capable of recovery. It’s a journey, not an event, and working in asynchronous batches is a smart way to stay resilient. – https://seths.blog/2015/01/planning-on-resilience/
Feelings first, then they create a story. Facts come in third.If our goal is to help people make better choices, it helps to first create better feelings. https://seths.blog/2021/07/narrative-and-feelings/