Beyond ‘Bouncing Back’: Leonardo Freixas on Identity Shifts in Resilience

In a recent LinkedIn post, Leonardo Freixas challenges conventional notions of resilience, arguing that true strength lies not in returning to a past self, but in embracing an evolving identity. Freixas, drawing from his own experience of a career transition in his forties, posits that the common understanding of resilience – simply ‘getting back up’ – often misses a crucial element: the struggle that occurs when one’s identity is fundamentally altered by changing circumstances.

Freixas opens by describing the widely admired image of an athlete falling, pausing, and then continuing. While this is often labeled resilience, he suggests a deeper truth is overlooked. “Getting back up isn’t always the hard part,” Freixas writes, highlighting that the difficulty often lies elsewhere.

The Limits of Traditional Resilience Advice

Freixas recounts his personal journey after his career ended unexpectedly. Despite adhering to conventional advice – staying positive, setting new goals, and consciously trying to ‘bounce back’ – he found himself stagnant. The issue, as he explains, wasn’t a lack of effort, as his career had been built on pushing forward. Instead, the struggle stemmed from attempting to reclaim a version of himself that no longer fit his new reality.

“It failed because I was trying to return to a version of myself that no longer existed,” Freixas states. This is where, in his view, much of the prevailing advice on resilience falls short. He contends that high performers often excel at effort but falter when their sense of self, or identity, is challenged.

Identity Over Effort: The Core of True Resilience

The crux of Freixas’s argument is that the real challenge emerges when one’s skills remain intact, but their purpose or direction is lost. This can also manifest when established systems, once functional, become misaligned with a new context. “This isn’t a mindset problem. It’s an identity shift,” Freixas emphasizes. He elaborates that old systems, built for a previous environment, can become a burden rather than a support when the context changes, likening it to trying to maintain an outdated stride for a race that has fundamentally changed.

“Your old systems were built for a different context. When the context changes, those systems don’t help. They weigh you down.”

According to Freixas, the most effective path forward isn’t about repairing what was broken but about constructing what is suitable for the present situation. This process, he acknowledges, can feel messy and uncomfortable.

Embracing Discomfort as Recalibration

However, Freixas reframes this discomfort not as a sign of failure, but as an essential part of recalibration. He offers a new definition of resilience: it’s not about reverting to a former self, but about learning to progress as the person one is becoming.

“Resilience isn’t bouncing back to who you were. It’s learning to move forward as who you’re becoming.”

Ultimately, Freixas encourages individuals to complete their race, but with the understanding that it may not be the same race they initially set out to run. This perspective shift, from mere persistence to adaptive identity evolution, forms the core of his insightful analysis on navigating significant life and career transitions.

As Leonardo Freixas concludes, the focus should be on building what fits the current reality, rather than trying to force oneself back into a past mold. This nuanced view offers a valuable framework for anyone facing substantial change.