If you are a regular reader of Lifeful Lifestyle then you will know that my blog is all about empowering women and helping them be the very best versions of themselves.
So when I learnt that some recent google searches were based around resilience and what it takes to be resilient, I thought I would take action and hopefully offer some advice on the subject matter.
From this post you can expect to learn what resilience means, 8 traits of resilient people as well as some famous, resilient people that we can look up to for guidance.
Resilience:
So resilience, what is it I hear you say! Resilience is defined by Cambridge Dictionary as "the quality of being able to return quickly to a previous good condition after problems."
So how can we become more resilient and use resilience in our everyday lives? Below I have included 8 traits of a resilient person in the hope that at least one of these traits will help you build your resilience.
Trait 1 - Make It Work
Now what I mean by this is, trying new ways until you find the way to make it work. I saw a video recently on Bear Grylls OBE's Instagram (link here) where a cub was trying to get to the top of this snowy mountain to reach it's mother. The cub tried one way and then fell so then tried another way and fell again until the cub finally found a way which worked and the cub reached the top!
So in conclusion, if you want something so bad, keep trying to find loop holes to make it work. You will get there!
Trait 2 - Self Awareness
Another trait of a resilient person is to have self awareness. If you have self awareness and can see yourself clearly then you are more likely to know what actions you can take on which in turn will lead you to success.
Trait 3 - Realistic
This trait ties in with the one above but ultimately in order to be resilient you need to know what is realistic for you. There is no point setting yourself a goal or challenge that you know, deep down, you won't complete. So make sure you are true to yourself and set yourself goals or challenges that are indeed a challenge but are realistic to your abilities.
Trait 4 - Calm Headed
Stress is unavoidable in life but how we deal with stress is the key. Some people panic, some people shut down, others approach stressful situations with a clear and calm mind. By approaching stressful situation in this manner you are allowing yourself to think more clearly and to ultimately make good decisions despite the stress.
Trait 5 - Empathy
When someone can show empathy and particularly pick up on how the situation is impacting others it will enable a resilient person to better gauge the situation and to move forward in the best possible way.
Trait 6 - Self Control
With high levels of self control, you are aware of yourself and your ability to hold yourself accountable. Having self control will also help you combat certain issues or situations especially in discomforting or hard situations which is where self control is used the most
Trait 7 - Motivated
In order to help build resilience, you have to have some fire in your belly to keep you motivated and pushing forward. By being motivated you are more likely to try and push through difficult situation or attempt to overcome challenges towards things that you are working towards.
Trait 8 - Optimistic
Never the victim. This is a powerful phrase and will help you when problems or challenging situations occur. Instead of thinking "why me?" think to yourself "ok, how can I overcome this?" By having this way of thinking you are building your resilience and empowering yourself to keep going when things get tough.
Now you have some traits of what it takes to be a resilient person, check out some examples below of people who have shown resilience throughout their career.
J K Rowling:
"The writer was a divorced single parent living on benefits when she wrote Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone - and the book was rejected by 12 publishers before being snapped up by Bloomsbury." Read the full article here
Now look at her! An amazing franchise has been build upon her resilience to keep going.
James Dyson:
"While developing his iconic vacuum cleaner, Dyson went through 5,126 failed prototypes – and his savings – and had to be partly supported by his wife’s salary as an art teacher." Read the full article here
James now has a net worth of $5 billion and Dyson is one of the most well known vacuum cleaners out there.
Bill Gates:
"He’s been called "Harvard's most successful dropout" after leaving the prestigious university to set up a business which created reports for roadway engineers based on traffic data. It folded several years later..." Read the full article here
A year after setting up Microsoft, he was the world's youngest, self made billionaire
Richard Branson:
“Over the years, my team and I have not let mistakes, failures or mishaps get us down,” says Branson. “Instead, even when a venture has failed, we try to look for opportunities, to see whether we can capitalise on another gap in the market.” Read the full article here
Walt Disney:
Believe it or not, the young Walt Disney was fired from an early job on a newspaper because they said he wasn’t creative enough (he “lacked imagination and had no good ideas”) Read the full article here
Now Disney is the most well known and most well loved franchise out there for both children and adults!
Oprah Winfrey:
"A woman who had already endured a childhood of poverty and abuse, Oprah also suffered numerous setbacks in her early career. She was fired from her job as a reporter because her bosses said she was “unfit for TV,” lost her job as a news anchor and was demoted to morning TV." Read the full article here
She became a hugely popular daytime TV host and a millionaire at the age of 32, when her talk show went national. Oprah also owns her own TV channel "OWN"
By learning what it takes to build a certain quality as well as looking up to those who have stepped before you provides some motivating and empowering content! By believing in themselves or their idea and showing a bit of resilience lead these incredible people to their dreams and you can do the same!
Leave a comment below and let me know who you look up to when it comes to resilience.