Between A Rock and A Hard Place
Everyone has experienced the feeling of being caught in an unfortunate circumstance. But it is how you respond and what you do next that is the measure of how resilient you are.
Resilience is the best response to whatever experience is producing that contrary feeling in you. You may not always choose the most resilient response, but you can learn to choose a response that is healthy for you. This positive cognitive response builds your resilience so that for future stressful circumstances, adversities or loss that your life encounters, you will be better equipped to handle them.
Like the efficacy of a drug to treat a medical condition resilience is the efficacy of an individual to respond to and overcome adversity.
Personal human resilience is the capacity to perform novel or difficult tasks to achieve the desired outcome with confidence. Individuals with high levels of resilience trust their own abilities in the face of adversity and tend to view problems as challenges or opportunities rather than threats or uncontrollable situations.
Resilience makes the difference in how people feel, think and act. It is a can-do insight that will reflect a sense of control over your environment and an optimistic belief to be able to alter your challenging demands by means of your own behavior. Resilient people experience less negative emotional provocation in demanding tasks, think in self-enhancing ways, motivate themselves and exhibit compassion and perseverance when confronted with difficult situations.
Resilience is the human capacity to cope, overcome, be strengthened and even positively transformed by life’s unavoidable adversities. Resilient people do not yield to or dwell on their troubles; they acknowledge the situation, learn from their losses, and move forward with enthusiasm. In fact they look for and seize the silver lining that exists in all challenges, they are the eternal ‘the glass is half full’ individual.
Personal human resilience is about bouncing forward into the present and the future, and not about bouncing back (into the past). Resilience is the key to face the challenges of today and tomorrow while enjoying every moment of the one life we have.
What is the relationship between Loss and Resilience?
Loss and Resilience are not mutually exclusive and one can help shape the other. The more resilient one is, the faster one recovers from loss and every loss experience presents the opportunity to create greater resilience and as a result a more joyful life.
To understand more about why you need personal resilience, who needs it and when you most need it read … Why, Who and When of Resilience
“Loss is Inevitable, Growth is Optional” – John Maxwell
“Resist and prolong suffering – embrace with an open heart and live in joyfulness” – Margaret Hansen
Resilience for Joyful Living 
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