Finding G.E.M.s in the Moment
Nov 10, 2022
[This is the transcript of Session 7 at the Emotional Intelligence Online Summit 2022 with Grant Herbert.]
Resilience is an important topic. However, it is a little bit misunderstood and sometimes taught in a way that is not very supportive and helpful.
In today's session, I want to use a simple acronym — G.E.M. — to help you understand how to find moments of genuine resilience in your everyday experience.
What Are G.E.M.s?
G stands for Gratitude. The practice of identifying what you are genuinely grateful for in any given moment is not naive positivity — it is a neurological intervention. When we focus on gratitude, we activate different neural pathways than when we focus on threat. We literally change the chemistry of our experience.
E stands for Empathy. In difficult moments, the capacity to extend empathy — both to others and to yourself — is one of the most powerful resilience tools available. Self-compassion is not weakness. It is the ability to meet your own difficulty with the same kindness you would offer a good friend.
M stands for Meaning. Research in positive psychology and trauma recovery consistently shows that the ability to find meaning in difficult experience is one of the strongest predictors of recovery and growth. This does not mean minimising difficulty — it means looking for what the difficulty is teaching you.
Applying G.E.M.s Daily
The G.E.M. framework is not a crisis intervention tool. It is a daily practice. When you make gratitude, empathy, and meaning-making habitual — something you practise in ordinary moments — they become available to you in extraordinary ones.
At People Builders, we help individuals and organisations develop genuine resilience through practical, evidence-based approaches. Contact us today for a quick chat.