Learning to Become More Resilient

By Roger Crawford. This was originally published on Roger's blog.

Several years ago, I authored a book titled How High Can You Bounce.  The book was well received, except when I spoke for a local skydiving association! Apparently, the thought of bouncing made them a bit uneasy.

Here is the condensed message of the book: Our ability to bounce back from life’s challenges determines our level of achievement and contentment.

Writing this book convinced me that resilience can be learned and is primarily a matter of attitude and self-belief. How we choose to think about ourselves and the world around us forms the foundation on which our resilience is built.

A pessimistic, hypercritical view of potential opportunities makes it extremely difficult to navigate life’s inevitable bumps in the road.  On the other hand, an optimistic, inspiring attitude can create a launching pad for possibilities and supply the fortitude necessary to overcome adversity.

Some folks’ positive thinking habits enable them to function with efficiency and effectiveness, regardless of their circumstances.  I believe that perseverance and optimism are what separates successful individuals from ones who fail to reach their full potential.

If we want to learn how to become more resilient this year, we need to understand what makes some people more optimistic than others. Here are three things that resilient people do well:

#1  Maintain a positive self-regard. Resilient people see themselves as valuable human beings who have the ability to accomplish their dreams.  When faced with adversity, they believe in their ability to bounce back and realize that every storm eventually passes.  Dr. Robert Schuller once said, “Tough times don’t last, but tough people do.”

#2  Control the controllable. Resilient individuals differentiate between what can be changed and what must be accepted.  They discipline themselves not to spend valuable time and energy trying to change the unchangeable.  Resiliency is often less about actual circumstances and more about how people choose to respond.

#3  Stay hopeful about the future. Resilient people find what it takes to succeed today by seeing a hopeful tomorrow.  They develop the capacity to remain hopeful, even during times of uncertainty.  A remarkable study from the University of California, Berkeley, has shown that it is possible to predict the risk of illness by looking at a patient’s answers to two simple questions:

Question 1: Do you feel it is impossible for you to achieve the goals you’ve set for yourself?

Question 2: Do you get the feeling your future is hopeless and is it difficult to believe that things will get better for you?

How we answer these questions not only influences our health but will also be a strong predictor of our future success.

Regardless of whatever challenges you are facing, you can choose your mindset which provides the courage to bounce forward and achieve your goals in the upcoming months!

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