The Inspirational Rugby Star Nathan Charles Teaches Resilience

What is resilience? Well, it's not a buzzword, rather, it's a personal trait that can help you shape your future career options for the better. While some people have more of it than others, it's there within us all, waiting to surface when life throws us those curve balls that we weren't expecting.

Today, it's a subject that we look at a little closer, and we get some brief yet insightful words from someone who's got buckets of resilience - Aussie rugby star Nathan Charles. As you can see when visiting his website Nathancharles.com.au, Nathan Charles teaches resilience, amongst other things, at speaking engagements across the world.

Diagnosed With Cystic Fibrosis at an Early Age

As he'll tell you, resilience is not about never facing challenges. It's about dealing with the knocks as they come, understanding how to handle them and then learning how to bounce back. This simple career guidance tip is based on his own story, which involved being told at an early age that he had cystic fibrosis and that he might not make his tenth birthday.

The thing is, he didn't just beat the odds; he smashed them. Not just content with surviving, he went on to play top-level rugby while managing a condition. Nathan's story is like a masterclass in not giving up. So, do you have the ability to adapt, overcome, and thrive, no matter what?

Why is Resilience Important in a Career?

Irrespective of the career paths taken after leaving high school, being resilient is important. It's like a secret superpower in the workplace, and it can be a real game-changer for your career. As nice as it would be if it weren't the case, life has a habit of going wrong sometimes.

Imagine you've applied for 10 jobs and you've put everything into giving 10 great interviews, but then they all reject you. It can be tough to take, but if you’re resilient, you’ll know that being persistent and keeping going will get you where you want to go. You know it in your heart, and it drives you. That’s the kind of resilience we’re talking about.

Careers Aren’t Sprints, They’re Marathons

What you have to bear in mind is that your career is a marathon, not a sprint, and things will go wrong from time to time. Will you crumble and give or use these mistakes (and everyone makes mistakes!) as a learning experience and ensure that you come back stronger?

If it’s the latter, then you’re a resilient person, and it’s a principle that applies across all of the career options out there, bar none. Resilience is also closely linked to adaptability and in the job market these days, that’s a real plus, as industries like tech are constantly changing. So, let’s dive in and see what Nathan Charles has to say on the subject.

How Nathan Charles Teaches Resilience

It's not hard to see why Nathan is so inspirational in the life and career guidance he offers, as he's been through so much and still come out a winner. So, what's his take on things? Let's waste no more time in seeing how Nathan Charles teaches resilience.

“What factors make someone resilient?“

“I would say the most important key development to build resilience is a strong mindset and the ability to face adversity. You get knocked down, but you get back up again. The most important development stage is building a strong mindset that allows you to keep going.

When it comes to the elite level of sport, a person might get there based on luck or natural talent, but they will only stay there with a strong work ethic. If a person is solution-focused and works through these milestones, they can build resilience”.

“How did you overcome cystic fibrosis to achieve your goals?”

I consciously chose to treat Cystic Fibrosis in isolation. Iunderstood that everyone in life has challenges and adversity, but it is up to each individual as to how they manage the adversity. I chose not to focus on it or share about it, so it did not tarnish my skills or allow discrimination to enter because of my condition.

I did not want to give anyone a reason not to pick me for a squad, so I took responsibility for my lifestyle to ensure that my health condition never impacted my rugby journey".

We think you’ll agree that this is resilience at its finest, particularly when talking about a high-intensity contact sport like rugby union. It also acts as fantastic career guidance advice, teaching us that however bad things get, there’s always a way back.

The Career Guidance & Discovery Platform From Wandr

Getting inspiration like this can seriously help you on your own career journey, and it's this kind of career guidance that's available to everyone who signs up and uses the Wandr platform and our learning management system. This is just a taste of the kind of insight available to help high school leavers in Australia as they approach the end of secondary education.

As well as giving you access to our free What Job Should I Do quiz that helps you to narrow down the available career options in line with your talents and personality, we offer a wide range of video-led courses that let you sample different professional roles. Rather than having to base your career choices on a feeling or a hunch, you get the lowdown from those who work in the sector today.

No matter what type of person you are, we have something to suit, and you can get an accurate feel for what it's like to work in a bunch of different industries, such as:

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Cut Through the Career Noise With Wandr Learning

When you have a handle on what it's actually like to work in certain roles for real, it's much easier to decide whether or not they're for you. The career moves you make after high school are important, so you want to choose wisely, and the Wandr platform can help you do just that by furnishing you with accurate information about a range of roles in an easily digestible video format.

Wandr was created to stop young Australians from having to guess about their career options and find roles that they'll truly thrive in. What's more, we offer 1-to-1 mentoring from real-world experts in their field, so we've covered all the bases!

We know that identifying the right career paths can be a bit overwhelming, but we're here to make things a whole lot easier. To learn more, visit Wandr.auand download our FREE Wandr Guide. If you want to chat, call 1300 611 404, or book acomplimentary career call here. Alternatively, email us at support@wandr.au, and we'll get back to you as quickly as we can.