I spent my last two years in business fighting to keep it going. There was a new challenge every day, and crises, that to most people would seem insurmountable. There were days I felt this way, but then I would find the resolve to pick myself up and keep on going.
During the two-year hardship, I would often be told by employees, family and friends, and a small group of industry colleagues who were aware of my circumstances, that they couldn’t believe how strong I was. As time trudged along and my will to survive became a daily practice, I realized that it wasn’t strength that enabled me to wake up each morning, put both feet on the ground, and conquer each day; it was resilience.
When people ask me what I learned about myself through the rise and downfall of my business, I tell them, “I realized how resilient I am, and how powerful that is.”
The beautiful thing about resilience is every single one of us can learn it and develop it as we continue on our journey of self-discovery. Resilience is an ability and should be honed as we experience the ups and downs of life. Strength, on the other hand, is a quality. Just because someone bestows inner strength doesn’t automatically make them resilient.
So, what is resilience? The simple definition is, the capacity to recover quickly from difficulties.
I recently spoke at a conference about resilience. In my presentation, I provided what I feel are 20 characteristics of a resilient person. I’m going to share them with you, five at a time. My three following Tuesday blog posts will be dedicated to enlightening you about resilience and how you can recognize it within yourself. I will provide valuable information on how to sharpen your abilities so your outlook on life, and how you cope with setbacks, positively impacts your perspective on living your best life possible.
The first five characteristics are:
- Resilient people can bounce back from adversity swiftly, with the ability to continue to function at a high level. They adapt well to the face of stress, challenge, trauma, and tragedy. Adversity is viewed as something to conquer, and resilient people use it to push forward to their goals.
- Resilient people have a strong and positive value system. Life has meaning, and their lives are purpose driven. Resilient people have a positive view of the world which results in positive character traits. They live their values.
- Resilient people work through their setbacks. They can continue to remain focused, and maintain their vision through hardship. A resilient person views a setback as a learning opportunity, not as an excuse to quit. They persevere and adapt. By doing so, they create new opportunities to reinvent themselves with greater passion and purpose.
- Resilient people are reflective. They learn from their past, use it to adapt their present existence, and help fortify their future goals. By being reflective we gain insight from our experiences and a better understanding of who we are and who we want to be. With this knowledge we are enlightened, which allows for better decision-making, brings clarity to our purpose and vision, and inspires action to achieve our goals. Our past is the passageway to our future.
- Resilient people have the capacity to remain positive in moments of crisis. There was a quote that resonated so deeply with me during my crisis. It became my daily mantra. “Being positive in a negative situation is not naive, its leadership.” One of the hardest things to do when you feel like your world is crumbling around you is to present yourself as if everything is perfect. If we let negativity creep in its toxic and will spread like wildfire through other people and institutions. Positivity is power. Negativity is failure.
Resilience is an ability, but it’s also a choice. When you’re faced with adversity you can either choose to be the victim or choose to be the victor. I choose victor every time! You can too!
With all the love in my heart! -XOXO
I so love this.