What Does Resiliency Mean to You?

Resilient: tending to recover from or adjust easily to misfortune or change (Merriam-Webster)

This week I’ve been thinking a lot about the topic of resiliency and what it means to me. Over the years I’ve noticed that the happiest people I know are the most resilient, meaning that they have the strength and ability to bounce back after experiencing hard times or a tough situation. It’s also about finding the positive in and creating meaning through your experiences. For example, people who live with cancer and still manage to get out of bed every day and smile, people who have suffered loss, or who have experienced abuse and have used it to become better and stronger, are resilient.

I don’t believe you have to have suffered something extreme to be a resilient person. We all experience challenges and hardships and it’s the way we bounce back that matters. When you experience hard times you have two choices: crumble under the pressure or use what you’re going through as motivation to be better. Personally I prefer the latter. In the words of Drew Barrymore, “If you’re going to go through hell… I suggest you come back learning something.”

What makes you a resilient person?