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What is Resiliency
By Alex Krell
What Is Resiliency?
 Resiliency is the
ability to positively
cope with or bounce
back from difficulty.
"Out of clutter, find simplicity.
From discord, find harmony. In
the middle of difficulty lies
opportunity." Albert Einstein
What Makes a Person Resilient
 Psychologists and researchers have found common skills
resilient people practice to help them rise above life's
challenges.
 Resiliency is not an inborn characteristic but rather a skill that
can be learned and developed.
 Martin Seligman, also known as the father of positive
psychology says, ”learning to turn your most traumatic
experiences into growth and improved performance provides
the foundation for good psychological health.”
10 Practices of Resilient People
 If you want to discover how you can better
respond to life's setbacks here are 10
common practices of resilient people.
1. Reframing
 Reframing or the ability to obtain a fresh
perspective or different mind-set. ------------------------------------------------------ Instead of focusing on the problem resilient
people acknowledge the issue, focus on
finding a solution, and take action to solve
the crisis.
2. Flexibility
 Flexibility or the ability to create a variety of options in the
face of uncertainty.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Resilient individuals do not have inflexible expectations but
are rather sensitive to the environment around them. They
are lifetime learners willing to reach a compromise or
implement a change if it is beneficial for others.
3. Focusing
o Focusing or the ability to have a clear
sense of living out their priorities.
o ---------------------------------------------------
Stephen Covey calls peoples priorities
,”True North”. This means they are
extremely aware of their own personal
values and beliefs.
o This helps them say “no” to things that
they consider less important
4. Optimism
 Optimism or the ability to see setbacks as opportunities.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Resilient people are either born optimistic or have learned to
be optimistic. They believe in their ability to find solutions to
problems, overcome difficulties, and that everything
happens for a reason.
5. Persevering
 Persevering or the courage and determination to keep
moving forward despite overwhelming threats or setbacks.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Resilient people neither live in the past nor fantasize about
the future but focus on finding solutions to the current
problem.
6. Responding
•
Responding or how a person reacts to adversity.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------•
Resilient people understand that the only thing they can
control is how they choose to respond to the adversity. They
are survivors who refuse to waste energy blaming their
childhood, the government, or other outside sources for the
difficulties they encounter.
7. Reaching Out
 Reaching out or asking for help when help is needed.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Resilient people understand that what is sharable is bearable
so they seek support from others to help them deal with life's
difficulties. They turn to close friends, family members, or
spiritual teachers when they need a fresh perspective.
8. Mental Toughness
 Mental toughness or seeing
oneself as a fighter rather than
a quitter.
----------------------------------------- Many resilient individuals have
encountered countless
setbacks, difficulties, and
extreme adversity .
 Resilient people are not afraid
to step out of their comfort
zone to learn a new skill
9. Balanced Living
o Balanced living or taking care of
the mind, body, and spirit.
-----------------------------------------o Resilient people know that in
order to live out their purpose
they must take care of their
mind, body, and spirit before
taking care of others.
o They practice positive coping
skills like prayer, yoga,
meditation, exercise, healthy
eating, and stress reduction.
10. Problem Solving
 Problem solving or finding solutions to life's
problems.
---------------------------------------------------------- Resilient people expect challenges to occur
and have the ability to remain calm and
collected in the middle of a storm.
 Dale Carnegie said, "Most of the important
things in the world have been accomplished
by people who have kept on trying when
there seemed to be no hope at all." The
power to forge ahead when there seems no
hope at all is the definition of resiliency.
Jeannette Walls: A Resilient Person
Jeannette Walls, journalist and author of the 2005 bestselling
memoir The Glass Castle, speak about how she overcame severe
adversity related to her dysfunctional childhood.
Jeannette Walls: Parents
 Her mother Rose Mary, who had a
teaching degree but refused to work
because she considered herself to be an
artist rather than a teacher.

believed a full time teaching job would
restrain her creativity as an artist and a self
proclaimed "excitement addict”
 Her father Rex Walls was a former Air
Force Officer who also rejected the idea
of full-time employment.

When her father wasn't telling Jeannette
about all the amazing things he had
already done, he was telling them about
the wondrous things he was going to do.
Both Parents lived in a “Fantasy Land”
Jeannette Walls: Growing Up
o Since her parents were absent for most of
her life she sometimes resorted to eating
cat food or stealing food from others to
survive.
o At 3 years old she was badly burned
because she was cooking hot dogs on the
stove
o Her life was spent on the road doing what
her father called, “the skedaddle”
o
the family would leave town in the middle
of the night to avoid bill collectors
Jeannette Walls: Later Life
 Jeannette dropped out of high school her junior
year to follow her older sister who had recently
moved to New York.
 lived in a place that had running water, heat, and
electricity.
 Jeannette worked in service industry jobs, the high
school newspaper, and later attended Barnard
College.
 After Jeannette graduated from college she met a
wealthy New York society man.
 She stayed married to him for a decade
 During this time she managed to keep her poverty
stricken childhood a secret, while she made a name
for herself as a top level journalist.
Jeannette Walls: Success Story

After her divorce she remarried John Taylor, a
fellow journalist who encouraged her to share her
childhood story with the world.

She decided to write her memoir because, "Secrets
are a little like vampires they suck the life out of you
but they only exist in the dark".

Jeannette is noted for having a very high level of
resilience when it came to her ability to accept her
life for what it is, without blaming her parents for
her trials, personalizing the difficulties that she
endured, or trying to erase her past.

Jeannette’s mother currently lives with her.

Jeannette was able to overcome extreme
deprivation and create a successful life for herself.
Olympic Resilience Video
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ioB6szj4Ag8&list=PLSin
u-DiTL0URKk-Ky3G6uMNkQMnkLQ6I
 http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_14399589
Quiz: Are You Resilient?
 http://www.resiliencycenter.com/resiliencyquiz.shtml
 http://stress.about.com/library/resilience/bl_resilience_quiz.h
tm
Bibliography
 "What Is Resiliency? The Secrets of Resilient People Including
Jeannette Walls." HubPages. HubPages, n.d. Web. 14 Feb.
2014.
 "Comeback Story: American Speedskater J.R. Celski."
MercuryNews.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Feb. 2014.