Cindy Thompson - A Resilience Project
Hello friends, I am Cindy Thompson and this is A Resilience Project. This is a space where stories are shared and possibilities are discovered. I invite you to partner with me in cultivating resilience among humans one conversation at a time.
This week we continue with our series of three episodes, profiling guests and nonprofit organizations who are getting in the trenches and cultivating hope in some of the poverty-stricken communities and war-torn countries. For our second episode, I am speaking with James Belt, author of “Hope Realized,” based on his insights and involvement with NICA-Works, a nonprofit organization based out of Nicaragua. James offers us a formula for diminishing poverty around the world. There is undeniable evidence that when we help others, we also have an opportunity to grow our own resilience. The phrase ‘We are stronger together’ is not just a slogan, it is a reminder that no one should be alone in their journey. So who doesn't need hope? What if our life circumstances create such a narrow lens from which to view our lives that we can't see the possibilities? In this episode we are talking about finding hope even in the most dire of situations. There is no doubt money can help us meet some of our basic human needs like food and shelter but if we don't have the means to generate income to meet those needs, it is much harder to thrive and rise out of these life circumstances. So how do we breathe life and hope into scenarios that feel hopeless? As the field director with NICA-Works, James has been reflecting on this very thing and exploring ways for us to make a difference in the lives of those in need. NICA-Works creates community-led change in order to build a hopeful present and future for the vulnerable. James’ commitment to helping people thrive fuels his hope-filled, world-changing approach to fighting poverty. James believes a world free of poverty is possible.
So, it is a privilege to interview authors like James who have distilled some of their insights and ideas into actionable methods for creating resilience around the world. I hope that you will stay with us for this conversation because together. We really can have a positive impact in this world. Here is my conversation with James. James, thank you so much for being here on a resilience project with me.
James Belt - Nicaworks
Thanks, Cindy, I'm so excited to be with you.
Cindy Thompson - A Resilience Project
When I thought about this conversation today, I love talking about hope and I feel like together you and I are working to grow resilience all around the world and for you to have a connection to Nicaragua to be inspired to write this book. I want to hear about what you're doing there, what you've been involved with, and what has inspired you.
James Belt - Nicaworks
Sure.
Cindy Thompson - A Resilience Project
I was looking back a little bit on your story. It started as a younger man and these sparks sometimes happen in our lives where we don't know where they're going to take us, but they have purpose. There's a reason that spark is there. Can you walk us through some of your early experience of going to Nicaragua with your family and what happened for you there?
James Belt - Nicaworks
Sure, I'd love to. 2006 My family went to Nicaragua and I decided not to go so that's kind of where it started. Our church had decided (it was about four years old), so my family was part of planting a church and they decided it's probably a good idea to do some missionary work and Pastor had a connection with someone that was doing work in Nicaragua through an organization called Orphan Network. He connected with Tim Adams who I still actually work with today and they went on a trip with Orphan Network to an orphanage in the community of El Cañón, which actually ends up playing a big role in my story.
Cindy Thompson - A Resilience Project
OK.
James Belt - Nicaworks
And so my family went, and I was few years out of college, had started the financial planning business and had kind of decided that I would be the guy that would write the check and not be the guy that would go. So, they went and came back and said, ‘No, you need to go,’ and they started coaxing me along and by the next summer I decided OK, I should probably go with them to this particular orphanage Puente de Amistad and that's where my journey started. Didn't have any plans of even necessarily going back to be honest with you. I didn't know that I'd ever go back to Nicaragua besides that first trip. Call me like the reluctant missionary to some degree! But obviously it ended up changing and I ended up falling slowly in love with the country as time went on. So, I started traveling almost yearly and then every six months for a few years there before the journey started to get more intense.
Cindy Thompson - A Resilience Project
Sometimes that spark grows, so there was something about the people. There was something about that community that drew you back. What was it?
James Belt - Nicaworks
Well, I started to meet people in El Cañón and you know we all have experiences with poverty, right? So, whether that's on TV, maybe watching a commercial. You know, I go back to the Catholic Charities commercial, where you see the kid, the sad music, and the background and you kind of think, OK, that's what poverty looks like. Where the guy you drive past on the road that's holding a sign asking for money and that was my experience for the most part. I had some other experiences prior to this, but not to the degree that I did in Nicaragua and as I started to spend time there and to connect with people, poverty changed from being that, ‘This is what it is,’ picture to, ‘This is who it is.’ It became a person. It was Maria Jose. Or it was Josue. Or a number of other people I could name that that I started to realize, ‘Wow, they're just as intelligent as I am there, they’re just as talented as I am.’ And yet, despite that, they are living in the midst of poverty and suffering from its byproducts and consequences. And as I started to realize, you know, just how similar we really were in the end, it really made me ask some questions. I grew up in a family business and finance degree in college. I really started to ask some questions about, you know I kind of understand the backside of it, you know how it all works, but why does this exist the way it does here in Nicaragua?
Cindy Thompson - A Resilience Project
As far as poverty is concerned, I love that part of it where you are identifying the human behind the story and it reminds me how important it is to get to know the people. Not just the story we might make up about that person, but really to stop and learn about it, even in our own backyard.
James Belt - Nicaworks
Yeah, and it's not just Nicaragua in my experience as well and I talk about a particular situation here and where I live, Westminster, Maryland. As I got to know somebody here that you know is struggling with poverty as well, but you're right, it's getting to know people and truly understanding their story. And you know, even when I went to Nicaragua I did go early on. I kind of had that experience and then I started to say, ‘OK. Well, what is actually going on here?’ and started to explore that question and as I did, I did kind of have some preconceived ideas. My parents ended up adopting a girl from Nicaragua that is my sister now, Emmeline. She was 15 at the time and during that period I had the opportunity to spend a little more time in Nicaragua and on one of those trips I went out with a friend to a coffee farm, an area called Boaco, which is kind of in the center mountainous part of Nicaragua. To a little town called Pueblo de Los Montañas, which means Town in the Mountains.
Cindy Thompson - A Resilience Project
OK.
James Belt - Nicaworks
Very creative name! I actually got to visit these coffee farms and I met some coffee farmers and they said to me, ‘James, you know we can grow enough coffee to support our families and more. However, we can only sell about 50% of what we grow. What we really need is a bulk buyer.’ And I kind of, being a bit naive but excited said, ‘Well, I can help you. I'll figure that out, like I'll connect you with Starbucks,’ and came back to the United States and soon realized that the international coffee trade is a little more complicated than I realized. Apparently you have to send that coffee bean to Switzerland and there's a whole process to it. Unknowing at the time, that conversation in Nicaraguan culture, I basically made a promise and I had to basically renege on that promise because I had no ability to help them with their 50% lack of sales, and what I learned was what you just said a few minutes ago, which was that you really have to get to know people. It was an opportunity for me to learn, and that failure that maybe my preconceived notions may or may not be right, but I need to take some time to learn and to really be willing to get to know people and listen before I decide there's a solution.
Cindy Thompson - A Resilience Project
Yeah, it's not uncommon that we go into a community like that and want to be the savior. ‘Let me show you. There's better ways.’ Our daughter, who went to Nairobi, was taught to go in with the mindset that it's not bad. It's just different. To go in with some curiosity and wanting to understand more because it's not always a quick fix like you just identified.
James Belt - Nicaworks
Yeah, rarely is it a quick thing. Yeah.
Cindy Thompson - A Resilience Project
I love this part of it where you have a new sister now. You're getting to know more people. And when I read the first part of your book, you spoke about not knowing much Spanish. I'm already hearing some evidence that your Spanish has grown a lot!
James Belt - Nicaworks
It has grown a lot! Yeah, the first trip I had mentioned I had actually traveled there late because of a friend's wedding. And so you see how committed I was to Nicaragua! Like, I have to go to this wedding before I can come! I landed at the airport. And the person that picked me up had a sign, the classic ‘James Belt.’ So I get in the car with her and soon find out that she knows maybe 5 English words and I realized that despite my high school and college Spanish classes, I knew about 5 Spanish words when it came down to it! And as we drove, we passed a volcano and I said, ‘Volcán,’ because I could remember that word and she said, ‘Sí,’ and then you know we tried to kind of communicate as much as we could. And then even more clearly realized, I eventually moved there, that I had some learning still to do, and ended up taking classes, but honestly, learning, because most of my staff, many of them just speak Spanish, and so I didn't have a choice. It was like I learned on the streets of Nicaragua how to speak Spanish.
Cindy Thompson - A Resilience Project
Probably the best way to do it.
James Belt - Nicaworks
It most definitely is because classes are great, but unless you're using it all the time it is difficult.
Cindy Thompson - A Resilience Project
Yeah. Would you tell us about Nica? It's N-I-C-A.
James Belt - Nicaworks
N-I-C-A, yeah, yeah.
Cindy Thompson - A Resilience Project
And tell us about that. Tell us what that means.
James Belt - Nicaworks
Yeah, so Nico works is the organization that I ended up working with when I moved to Nicaragua. I ended up connecting with Tim Adams who I had mentioned previously. Kind of felt a calling or a pull to the community surrounding the orphanages, so he realized through his work at the orphanage. Well, what if we could help to prevent the need for these kids living here. Many kids in Nicaragua and many other impoverished countries are actually what they call economic orphans. So they might have families, but their families can't care for them. How could we maybe prevent some of those situations? And his focus changed from being primarily orphanage driven to community driven. So as I started to think about moving to Nicaragua on one of my trips, I talked to him and I ended up deciding to work with them, and our focus is really on partnering with the community to bring both spiritual and practical hope as I like to refer to it. We call it community-led change. So we go in and we try to listen and say, hey, what assets exist here? Who are the leaders in the community? How can we be a part of the community? And then what resources can we bring, both practically and potentially spiritually, to the table to make a difference in this community? And we have a lot of vocational training going on. We've created a bike shop. It's actually just a business now. We have some agriculture programs going on, sewing classes, vocational training, carpentry, partnering with other organizations with some education and healthcare initiatives as well. But all focused around how can we bring both practical and spiritual hope. Nicaragua and the people that need it.
Cindy Thompson - A Resilience Project
I appreciate the word practical. Sometimes just small adjustments, little shifts that might make a powerful difference. So, what inspired you to write your book?
James Belt - Nicaworks
I was in Nicaragua in 2011 and had walked up this hill with a group of kids and just felt an inaudible voice, but as close as I could tell, to God. Kind of saying, ‘Where are you going?’ and my first thought was I'm going back to the United States or my nice, comfortable life but ended up deciding well, maybe I'm being called to live there for a period of time, and so as I lived there and started to ask some of those questions that we talked about earlier, you know: Why is this happening? And being willing to actually listen and understand this time. I started to see that many of the byproducts when we think of poverty, so hunger, unemployment, lack of healthcare, if you go down the list of the poverty byproducts, that they are truly byproducts, that much like an iceberg there's something deep below the surface that's feeding them, and what I've discovered, my journey, is that that's basically what I call hopelessness, or the lie of hopelessness, that essentially a lack of real opportunities, you know, lack of a practical hope and a lack of a clear identity that you were created for something more. You know, this belief in the case of hopelessness, that my life will never change, I was created for less than, you know, there's no reason to strive for more. Those two things tend to hold people captive and they tend to feed the byproducts we often think of when we think of poverty. As I thought about, and as I moved back from Nicaragua in 2015, I realized, well, maybe this is something worth writing down for, at the very least, myself and a few others. And then as that started to happen started in, I think it was December 28th, 2015 (I was looking at my journal recently) and as I started to write it down, the next few years, I started to decide that maybe this is something worth sharing. It basically became from there a book. My journey is being able to say poverty isn't just what we often think of it as. It's actually fueled by this lie of hopelessness, and that if we address that hopelessness by providing both practical hope or real opportunity, and spiritual hope or reframed identity that we can really fight poverty in a real way. It's not a new idea. It's more of an observation that if we can bring those two things together, that real change happens.
Cindy Thompson - A Resilience Project
And sometimes, even if it's been said, saying it in a new way. Rewriting that story that we might have about ourselves. Anywhere. This is not just about Nicaragua anymore, this is about human beings who might have self-limiting beliefs and we can challenge those self-limiting beliefs. We can rewrite that. I like where you're going with this.
James Belt - Nicaworks
Thanks, I totally agree with you. Yeah, it's not just Nicaraguan, it's not even just poverty really.
Cindy Thompson - A Resilience Project
You're right. What are some branches from this that you've been discovering? How are you using this in your day-to-day life now as you talk to people?
James Belt - Nicaworks
I would say a couple of things. One, I think that when it comes particularly to poverty, we all really have an opportunity to play a role, and I think oftentimes we think of, ‘Oh, gosh, James moved to Nicaragua for three years. I don't ever see that happening for me.’ Well, I didn't either and I'm not saying that's going to, but if you think about, you know, what do I bring to the table? Well, you probably bring something to the table and you can engage in it and you can make a difference in that. By bringing hope to others, we often find more hope for ourselves, so I would say there's an opportunity for all of us to make an impact in this world, but also, those self-limiting beliefs tend to affect us. We might see ourselves as we examine. We say, ‘OK, well, what is my perspective on other people? Well, what is my perspective on myself? What do I really believe about myself and my opportunity to thrive?’ I've had to ask myself those questions and it's been interesting through the writing process. Looking back on my own life to see what role practical and spiritual hope have played and kind of where I've gotten to in my life. The real opportunities and those reframed identities. And it's made me realize that it’s super important for anybody. What happens in poverty is the margin for error is razor thin, so those opportunities, and that identity, that maybe marred identity, basically have less-than exists in poverty that can tend to send people down a certain path economically. That is different. But for me, you know, I grew up in a middle class family. There's a lot of margin for error, so it may not affect me the same way, but it can still affect my life and my ability to reach my God-given potential. So when I say spiritual hope, I'm talking about that we were created on purpose, for a purpose by God who loves us. Seeing yourself that way. My belief system is of spiritual hope, and I think makes a huge difference.
Cindy Thompson - A Resilience Project
Yeah, it's an invitation. Not just for ourselves, but for community. How we can be a catalyst for change in others, even in a small way. Have an impact on somebody else's life or inspire them. Give them hope. We could be hope missionaries, perhaps.
James Belt - Nicaworks
Yeah, I think we all can be hope bringers or bringers of hope because everybody needs it at some point, me included, and we all have that opportunity. And just to reiterate, I think when we do, the neat thing is that we tend to find more hope for ourselves. The more hope we bring to others, the more hope we tend to find for ourselves. So people often say, ‘Well, man three years in Nicaragua and you continue to work there.’ Well, in some ways it's a bit selfish! I think if I stopped I’d feel less hopeful myself. I would totally agree. We all have that opportunity and we all benefit from it.
Cindy Thompson - A Resilience Project
It's one thing to go to Nicaragua, get inspired by this vision and this calling that you feel you've been drawn to. How are you changed because of the people of Nicaragua, what you've seen, and how has that worked in your life?
James Belt - Nicaworks
In so many ways. Maybe the standard answer is I have a much deeper appreciation for my life for what I have, and in my upbringing and the opportunities I've been given, but I think it's also giving me a much clearer picture that we really are all created equal. You know, we may not have equal opportunity, but we're all created with equal ability, in a sense, to reach our God-given potential. I mean that looks different for different people, but we all have this potential to thrive, and that whether you live in Nicaragua and you were born in poverty or Baltimore City. Where I grew up in Westminster and your family builds a successful business because of the opportunities that they had. That we are all created equal and I think that gives me a ton of hope to think that when I look at people I can look at them through the lens of their potential, through the lens of even their current reality. And it totally changes my perspective on everyone I interact with in the world. Not that every day today it goes perfectly. But it gives me a much more optimistic perspective on things, because I can say, yeah, that's not going well right now. But that's not the end of the story. I think it's really changed that for me. I also really appreciate how long sometimes things can take and how messy it can be creating real change and that we can't get too discouraged when things don't go exactly as planned. As you probably talk about a lot, I know you do, in your podcast we have to be resilient even when things don't go well on the initial approach, and that doesn't mean that, again, is the end of the story.
Cindy Thompson - A Resilience Project
Yeah, so true. Do you have any stories, James, of how you've applied this, or how you've seen it in motion, or become a catalyst for inspiring others?
James Belt - Nicaworks
I can think of one person in particular. Her name is Sophia and she lives in El Cañón and we did a community gardening project there and she was a part of it and she lived in a plastic wrapped house at the time. So it was just basically sticks from the community and she was a squatter on a piece of property and wrapped, it looks like giant trash bags around the sticks to make a house and unbeknownst us know, we would have thought, ‘OK, well, great, she's involved,’ but wouldn't have said necessarily like she's our star people, but she kind of took on that opportunity that we provided, and we realized through that community gardening project that she had some potential and not only that, but that she saw herself differently. She was engaged in the church there and had some relationships that had built into her that gave her a different perspective of her future. So what I would call spiritual hope and then we were able to come behind her and say, well, we'll invest in you. She came to us and basically said, ‘I want to do a bean project and grow beans,’ and we said, ‘OK, well, we'll invest in you.’ She took advantage of the opportunity and was able to grow it. And while the story is not over, she's been able to really grow and advance from there, so she's been able to process multiple bean crops and then she has chickens and she's been able to build up this small business that in time could eventually really change the story of her family moving forward. I talk about in my book how my grandmother tutored me. I struggled a lot with English, so it's really ironic I wrote a book eventually and then I had a grandfather that wrote me letters that told me, ‘You were created on purpose and for purpose,’ and those instances of spiritual hope have played a huge role. I've now realized in even writing the book that I did because I've seen that impact in my own life. So between Sophia and myself I've seen a ton of difference made by what I would call ‘all in hope,’ so that combination of practical and spiritual hope.
Cindy Thompson - A Resilience Project
Thank you for that. Those are great reminders of how important it is that people speak into our lives, whether it's a family member, it could have been a teacher or somebody, as listeners are capturing this moment. Perhaps it's somebody that's spoken into your life that saw your potential and the possibilities in you. We don't often see it in ourselves, but somebody around us might see it. It also speaks to community, the importance of you folks giving her an opportunity to lean in; provide just a little bit of help where she can build on that as a building block. I can hear the building blocks that she's now taken it and run with it. How many times do we need to say yes to something that is right before us that we might not even recognize right away.
James Belt - Nicaworks
I think that's so true, and you know, that's as I've thought about my journey. You know, I've lived in Nicaragua for three years, but that's not where it started. It started with even before saying yes to going on a mission trip. Opportunities to serve and do things. And I would encourage anybody listening. Just do something. You never know where that might lead, but yeah, there's so many opportunities for us to bring hope to others. And then to find more hope for ourselves.
Cindy Thompson - A Resilience Project
And you referred to getting out of your comfort zone and to be able to say, ‘OK, I don't know if I want to go there. It's hot, it's really comfy here at home. Is this really what I want to do?’ And yet when we get out of our comfort zones, we learn a lot about ourselves.
James Belt - Nicaworks
That is so true. Yeah, I mean we have these little boxes, you know, we live in that we don't even realize we're living in. Our viewpoint might be (I'm holding my fingers up, I don't know anybody else will be able to see it), but this little box. This viewpoint that we have of life and we think, ‘OK, this is what life is all about.’ And then when we get out of our comfort zone, whether that's in a different culture or whatever, that might look like that box expands and it really, I think, brings more richness to our life to be able to see life from a wider angle and be able to appreciate and understand things at a different level because we've seen how other people see the world.
Cindy Thompson - A Resilience Project
It made me think of a quote. Can't remember who the author is, but it talks about, ‘What if one day you sat down and read a book about what your life would have been like if you gave into fear,’ and the fact that we get an opportunity to say yes like we just spoke of, to lean into the discomfort, get in the arena, how might that change our lives and the lives of others around us for the good?
James Belt - Nicaworks
Yeah, that's cool. Wow, that's a great quote.
Cindy Thompson - A Resilience Project
James, can I ask about the community that you've been involved with in Nicaragua - about the resilience that you might have seen even in poverty? Because we're talking about resilience here. We're talking about what people might already be doing right with what they have. And sometimes we are surprised by their resilience of people living in a great deal of hardship.
James Belt - Nicaworks
Yeah, there are tons of examples of people that, despite all of the challenges that they are presented, maybe dysfunction they lived in growing up or the lack of resources they were provided, that they didn't give up. I talk in my book, I can think of one person in particular, named Roger, and Roger grew up in a town named Avianas. Avianas is in the rural part of the mountainous region of Nicaragua in the north. And basically lived in a village where they ate leaves at times because their crops failed and they didn't have anything to eat. You know, basically starving, so they ate leaves to stop their hunger pangs and at around 10 or 11 years old Roger had an experience and just felt like God told him he should get an education because there was no school in his town. And Roger decided that instead of just kind of saying, ‘Well, there's no school in my town. Everyone here just works.’ A lot of parents in those environments aren't necessarily encouraging education because they've seen that there's not a lot of other opportunity. Like, why would you get an education when you're going to be a corn farmer, you know and live on basically nothing for your whole life? And so Roger decided, ‘I'm not gonna let that stop me,’ and he had to travel to another village which required him to cross a river. And that wasn't too bad most of the year, but during rainy season it would reach flood stage and he'd actually have to put his books on top of his head and travel across the river. And he was swept away by the river, he told me, multiple times and it didn't stop. He said no, ‘I'm going to keep going.’ Well, his commitment eventually he met a person from a church in Managua, in the capital city, who gave him the opportunity to move there and to go to high school because there's no high school, no secondary school in his area, and he took that opportunity and ran with it and ended up meeting someone there from the US who said, ‘I want to sponsor you to go to university in the United States,’ and they basically were his sponsor, his dad in a sense. Once in the United States for a number of years, while he received his degree, he ended up meeting a girl in Virginia and they ended up getting married, got his MBA degree and now he runs an organization, in addition to working, called ‘Just One Opportunity’ where he actually goes back now and gives opportunity to people in the 18 villages surrounding his village in this northern region of Nicaragua. And that's a beautiful picture of someone that could have given up a million times and just decided, because of his belief that his life wasn't limited to this ‘less-than’ that he had seen in his growing up years that he could keep going. He didn't give up and he was resilient and he's a beautiful picture of what that can do in life.
Cindy Thompson - A Resilience Project
Yes, I'd love to meet him.
James Belt - Nicaworks
Yeah, he's awesome. He is super inspiring. You spend 5 minutes with Roger and you're like really excited about life.
Cindy Thompson - A Resilience Project
I bet. We all need a little bit more of that. It keeps things in perspective when you hear about what he's been through and how hard he worked for what he wanted and felt called to. It makes us think about how we might be able to lean into more hardship to get what we want.
James Belt - Nicaworks
Yeah, and you think about it too. I mean he grew up in the village without a school, no electricity, no running water. And through his journey, he's now been able to help found a school in that village. And you think about the opportunities that provides the kids that live there despite the struggles that still exist. I've spent time in Avianas. There's still challenges and struggles there, but you think about how that resilience has made a difference. There's so many people. It's incredible.
Cindy Thompson - A Resilience Project
Yes. It's all relative. The things that we might be going through in North America that we feel are hardships, and they are they are to us, in our box that we're living in. But for folks who are impoverished, who are living with so little they are dealing with a whole other set of challenges that we're not even aware of.
James Belt - Nicaworks
Yeah, and we can learn a lot from that about our ability to push through and not give up and not be afraid of failure. I mean, that's I think I struggle with that. I'm from the northeast part of the United States. I'm very type A. That kind of didn't help when I moved to Nicaragua, by the way! But you know, I'm not a huge lover of failure, I should say. It would be easy for me to say, ‘Qell, I'm not gonna try anymore because I might fail,’ but a willingness to fail sometimes is required if we're going to make a difference or we're going to advance somewhat.
Cindy Thompson - A Resilience Project
A great message. It makes me wonder what else you've learned about yourself as a result of seeing what you've seen getting out of your comfort zone. What have you discovered about your resilience, James?
James Belt - Nicaworks
Well, a few things, I would say. One, that I'm probably more capable than I realize, oftentimes. I don't say that pridefully, but there's more to me than I give myself credit for, at times. There's probably less to me sometimes, I give myself credit, too, by the way! But that there is an opportunity to press through. It's interesting, about maybe halfway through my journey in Nicaragua I have a struggle with anxiety and it's still part of my journey today, actually. Through that struggle with anxiety, I've come to realize that doesn't have to be the end of my story. You know, I don't have to be kind of caught in that mindset for the rest of my life, and that I can move beyond it despite the challenges that still exist. So that idea that I was also created on purpose and for a purpose plays a role in my life and my ability to move beyond it and my ability to be resilient not only for myself but for the people that I get to interact with. I have two kids now, three and five. Whether that's you know, investing in their lives and saying, look, there's going to be challenges in life. That's the reality, but that doesn't have to be the end. You don't have to kind of give into the, ‘Well, it's too hard to do this,’ or ‘It's too hard to do that,’ that you can press through. Or it's people that I work with in Nicaragua or people I work with at work that just to encourage them and say, ‘This is your current reality. But that's not, again, the end of the story,’ and being a bit of a broken record there, but that we can continue to move forward from that. And that's what I guess I've learned about myself is that maybe to have more grace for myself, but also to have a perspective that there is still something ahead that I can keep moving forward?
Cindy Thompson - A Resilience Project
Yeah, there's that hope again.
James Belt - Nicaworks
Yeah, yeah, that's probably the right word.
Cindy Thompson - A Resilience Project
Yeah, even in hardship to remember this is temporary. A lot of what you just spoke of is around mindset. ‘Though this is temporary, I can do this.’ To remember you've already done hard things, to be able to draw on that past experience, and the strengths that you've already been discovering about yourself. When you got out of your comfort zone.
James Belt - Nicaworks
Yeah, and you know, I think that through my time in Nicaragua, coming back is that I don't get as excited as I used to about when things don't go as planned. When maybe a global pandemic hits and we're in the midst of it, for example. That I don't get quite as excited as I would have prior to. Oh no, the sky is falling. Or, you know we have to panic and do this and that and you know you do have to take action steps but you don't have to do it in panic mode. You can kind of take a step back and say, ‘No, like yes, this is what's happening. But this is just one period of time and we can work through it and move forward and don't have to live like everything is falling apart around us.’ I think we're in a bit of a, not to get too much into our current reality in this world or observations, but I do think we're in a bit of that world right now where a lot of people are kind of stuck in this, ‘Everything is going wrong. Nothing is right.’ No matter where you stand on many different issues. A lot of people are living there right now. You know, I think it's worth taking a step back and saying, well, one this isn't the first time anyone experienced this in the history of the world. And two, you know, the sky isn't falling necessarily. Even if the sky is falling, it's not helping us living in the midst of it, as if there isn't hope. It's almost like we bought into hopelessness to a degree, and so seeing the hook beyond what we're currently dealing with, I think, helps us to be able to say I'm going to relax a little bit. I'm going to think about what steps I can take and I'm going to move forward with a different perspective.
Cindy Thompson - A Resilience Project
Yeah, a great message. Who are the people that you hope will read this book? Is there a particular population that you had in mind?
James Belt - Nicaworks
Well, certainly as I wrote it, I was thinking, in part, about someone that maybe had had some experiences with people in poverty and that might be in their neighborhood or it might be in their city, or it might be they went on the mission trip and they're starting to ask the same questions I asked. You know, ‘Why are things the way that they are?’ And they're wondering, ‘Why is that person stuck in that situation and yet I am not?’ And they're asking themselves, ‘What is it that feeds that?’ I'm hoping by this book they understand, one, why poverty exists, and two, where they can play a role in that. But I would say also anybody really that is thinking, ‘Well, you know I love what I'm doing with my life, but there's gotta be more,’ and I think sometimes what the more is is our ability to give our life away and invest in other people. And so I would encourage anyone that's thinking, ‘Well, gosh is there more for me? Can I do something else with my life?’ One part in the book I actually encourage people to say well, be curious, be curious about what you think about poverty about yourself, so about what you believe about the people you interact with, think about what you bring to the table. You probably have something to offer. My case of business experience, but I give examples of carpenters and things of that sort and then maybe get connected to someone else that's doing something and then just take a step. Whether that's reading a book like ‘Hope Realized’ or there's lots of other great books out there or it's just jumping in and doing one little project. I hope it encourages people to take a step forward.
Cindy Thompson - A Resilience Project
I agree. What that suggests to me is another resilient skill, actually, is to help others to get out of our own box for a little bit and think about beyond ourselves. What can we be doing to help somebody else lift them up? It could be simply having a conversation with someone who is impoverished, who is on the side of the street asking for money. Learn their story and to see them as a human being, even as simple as that. It doesn't have to be in a big way. What could we be doing right now? I really, really appreciate that invitation that you're putting out there and glad that that's part of your book.
James Belt - Nicaworks
Yeah, it's super important and you just made me think about like sometimes I'll get stuck into the mindset, ‘The sky is falling,’ and then I'll realize, ‘Wait, take a step back, James. Get outside of your own head.’ So it's a great point. Helping others helps us do that.
Cindy Thompson - A Resilience Project
Yeah, and I appreciate that you are a catalyst. You are someone who got in the arena, who has traveled to learn more about these communities and from that, had this inspiration to do more. And my hope is that this book will also give people hope, not only for their own lives, but for the lives of others around them and in their community. Because I hear you refer to community a lot and that speaks to not just ourselves, but we are in community and we can get so isolated in our own lives we forget to be part of the community to really reach out and help one another or let others help us. We don't have to do it alone.
James Belt - Nicaworks
No, that's a great point. Yeah, community is so critical, I think, to a life that is thriving and flourishing and and the reality is, we're all connected whether we want to be or not. We have to kind of live in that reality with whether we want to be isolated or not. There's almost no way to be completely isolated.
Cindy Thompson - A Resilience Project
And we shouldn't be. We're not meant to be.
James Belt - Nicaworks
No, it's not good for you. For sure.
Cindy Thompson - A Resilience Project
James, I am so grateful that you would carve out some time to have this conversation with us. That you're talking about hope, and I trust that it'll be a catalyst for some really juicy stuff in this world.
James Belt - Nicaworks
Yeah, thanks Cindy, it's been a great time.
Cindy Thompson - A Resilience Project
I appreciate your time as well.
James Belt - Nicaworks
Thank you.
Cindy Thompson - A Resilience Project
My pleasure.
As I reflect on this conversation with James, I find myself thinking about Erikson's hierarchy of needs. On the very first level, that many of us take for granted, includes things like air, water, food, shelter, sleep and clothing. These are very core physiological needs that set the stage for the other building blocks that contribute to our well-being. When we address poverty, we are giving people the opportunity to meet some of these very basic needs. As we help them rewrite their story and reframe those limiting beliefs, possibilities emerge. For this reason, I am grateful to hear James’ ideas on what we can do to cultivate hope and contribute in some meaningful ways to diminishing poverty in this world. It is difficult to access resilience when we are hungry, cold, or lack safe places to sleep. In our conversation, James is putting a face to poverty. There is no ‘us’ and ‘them.’
One of the key takeaways for me is the insight that lack of opportunity can lead to helplessness. That it keeps people captive. And when we reframe one's identity or that story that they have about themselves it creates fertile ground for hope to grow. For those of you interested in purchasing one of James's books, I wanted you to know that he is donating 50% of the sales to NICA-Works.
So there's lots of gems in this conversation, but here are just a few of the highlights and resilience practices that I have pulled out from my conversation with James. I love the idea that we can all become hope-bringers and that we are all born with the potential to thrive. James invites us to look at people through the lens of their potential and not the lens of where they are currently. Be patient. Change happens slowly. As we invest in helping people reframe their story or cultivate hope, the progress may come in small incremental steps, but it’s still change.
If you are someone who is feeling helpless or lacking hope, remember that this may be your current reality, but it isn't the end of the story. Have grace for yourself and focus on the steps that you can take right now. We all have gifts to offer. In staying aware of what we bring to the table, our skills, knowledge or offerings, there might just be someone out there who could benefit from some of those gifts. And don't be afraid of failure. As we grow our resilience, we need a willingness to fail in order to advance forward.
As we wrap up this episode, I would like to leave you with one question and one quote. My question for you to reflect on is: If you knew that a kind word, supportive action, or just time spent could change the trajectory of someone's life, what is one commitment that you can make this week in your community? I would love it if you would write to me and let me know what you decided to do and how it worked out.
And here is a quote that I'll leave you with from Melinda Gates, ‘You'll come to see suffering that will break your heart. When it happens, and it will, don't turn away from it. Turn toward it. That is the moment where change is born.’
If you liked this episode or enjoying a Resilience Project podcast, I would really appreciate it if you'd let us know how we're doing to rate it and comment on whatever platform you're using. This helps us to continue growing resilience around the world. One conversation at a time. And remember friends, adversity is inevitable while resilience is a practice.
Thank you for listening to this episode of ‘A Resilience Project.’ We would not be doing this podcast without you. If you or someone you know has an inspirational story or is helping to build resilience in their community, please e-mail me at Cindy@aresilienceproject.com. In fact, e-mail me either way. I would love to hear from you. My hope is to feature an episode periodically on your letters of resilience. I'm very interested in hearing your story of how you have tackled hard things and what worked for you. With your permission, I hope to share some of these stories along the way with our listeners. Also, check out my website, aresilienceproject.com to learn more about our amazing guests.
Your presence here is important because together we are cultivating a village of resilient individuals. You are creating a space for their stories to be shared and a sacred space for learning to occur. I also have a favor - I would love for you to go to your preferred podcast platform, rate and review the podcast so that we will know how we're doing. I also would like to express my gratitude to the amazing team of volunteers that have jumped on board to support this project. You will find each of those beautiful people on my website on the team page.
As you go about this week, I invite you to think about one way that you can continue to grow your resilient muscle. What is one thing you can start with today? See you next week.
HELPFUL RESILIENCE INFORMATION
Definition of Resilience
Capacity to cope with and recover quickly from setbacks, difficulties, and toughness; to adapt well to change; and keep going in the face of adversity.
Types of Resilience - how the body deals with change and recovers from physical demands, illnesses, and injuries.
Physical Resilience how the body deals with change and recovers from physical demands, illnesses and injuries.
Mental Resilience ability to adapt to change and uncertainty.
Emotional Resilience ability to regulate emotions during times of stress.
Social Resilience community resilience – ability of groups to recover from difficult situations.
Areas of Life or Situations That Require A High Level of Resilience:
· Resilience in Adoption
· Resilience in Adults
· Resilience in Anxiety - Depression
· Resilience in Body Image – Eating Disorders
· Resilience in Change
· Resilience in Children
· Resilience in Chronic Illness
· Resilience in Death & Dying
· Resilience in Divorce
· Resilience in Immigration
· Resilience in Non-Profits
· Resilience in Marriage
· Resilience in Parenting
· Resilience in Post Secondary Education
· Resilience in Pregnancy
· Resilience in Racism
· Resilience in Relationships
· Resilience in Suicide
· Resilience in Teens
· Resilience in Trauma
· Resilience in War
· Resilience in the Workplace
Traits, Qualities and Characteristics That People with Resilience Possess:
· They view themselves as survivors – Survivor mentality
· They have a good self-image
Ways to build Resilience in People
· Create more purpose and meaning in all that you do
· Develop a good support system – supportive network circle that they can engage for help
· Maintaining positive relationships
· Work towards developing good communication skills.
· Develop the capacity to make realistic plans and to carry them out
· Maintain a well-balanced routine lifestyle of diet and exercise
· Practice emotional regulation to manage your feelings, impulses and emotions
· Practice good problem-solving skills to rationally develop solutions
· Find ways to help others
· Set time aside for journaling
· Develop new skills to respond differently to situations. ...
· Turn setbacks into opportunities for growth. ...
· Maintain a healthy perspective. ...
· Maintain Proper sleeping habits
· Practice meditation
Organizations that promote and support Resilience
Resilience Quotes
Resilience Books
Resilience Courses