It is easy to assume that people who are highly resilient are born that way. Often this is not this not the case, most people who are resilient have developed the skill over time and as a result of the adversity they have faced. This means that resilience is something that anyone can master, given time and attention.
One of the most important keys to resilience is self-awareness. Learning more about yourself, and how you respond to life’s curveballs can go a long way to help you to develop the resilience that will help you meet your goals. Self awareness really boils down to your ability to answer the following three key questions about your own personality.
1. What brings you down? Stress comes to everyone and for most of us, certain stressors are more debilitating than others. As an example, your children or parent may be able to place a guilt trip on you that no one else can match. Understanding which stressors in life really have the ability to make a dent in your attitude and bring you down is critical to developing lasting resilience. When you know what is likely to affect you most, you can prepare for and plan your response ahead of time.
2. What inspires you? This is equally important to understand what picks you up when you are down. For example, some people gain energy and perspective by being around other people (extrovert), while others recharge with solitude (introvert). Knowing exactly what steps you should take to bounce back will help you move quickly and with less time lost to a negative outlook.
3. What drives you? It vital to have a constant reminder of why you’re pursuing your goals. Maybe you are working for financial freedom, or working toward making a contribution to your community. Whatever your reasons, it’s important to have these close at hand at all times. When obstacles get in your way, you’ll recover much more quickly when you can quickly and easily remember why you set this goal in the first place.
Resilience is critical to determining the quality of your life. It is something everyone can achieve with the right focus and tools. Understanding the answers to these three key questions can help you to bounce back quickly from whatever life throws in your direction.