Overhead

Resilience
(Bouncing Back from Failure and Adversity)

Definition: Resilience = "Bouncing Back From Adversity and Failure"

Quote: ''I am grateful for all my problems. After each one was overcome, I become stronger and more able to meet those that were still to come. I grew in all my difficulties.'' (J.C. Penney)

1. Discover the Benefits of Adversity

Personal Reflection: Write down some things you don't like about your life: bad circumstances, personal weaknesses, etc.

Brainstorm: Name as many good things as you can that come from hard times. 

Remember, the road to success is paved with failures.

II. Don't Be Surprised By Opposition and Failure.

Backgrounds of Famous People: 

* 3 out of 4 of the children were troubled either by poverty, by a broken home, or by parents who were rejecting, over possessive, or dominating.

* 74 out of the 85 writers of fiction or drama and 16 out of 20 poets came from homes where, as children, their parents weren't very stable. They really got mad at each other or the family. 

* Physical handicaps, such as blindness, deafness, or crippled limbs characterized over one-fourth of these people.

Putting it Into Life: As Sir Edmund Hillary said after he first failed to reach the top of Mount Everest, "Mount Everest, you have defeated me. But I will return, and I will defeat you because you can't get any bigger -- and I can!'' Sure enough, he became the first person to stand on the top of that mountain at 11:30 AM, May 29, 1953.

Remember: The road to success is paved with failures.

III. Find a Team.

• The world's best known scientist: Twenty-two year old Albert Einstein and like-minded friends met frequently in each other's homes or talked on hikes, sometimes all the way through the night. These conversations had an enormous impact on his future work. They called themselves ''The Olympia Academy.'' 
  
• The most successful business man: Fifteen-year old Bill Gates met regularly with other computer enthusiasts who called themselves ''The Lakeside Programmers Group.'' 
  
• One of the wisest men of his time: Benjamin Franklin met every Friday for decades with a diverse group of civic-minded thinkers called ''Junto.'' Many of his great accomplishments were a result of cross-pollination from this group. 
  
• Two of the top writers ever: J.R.R. Tolkien (Lord of the Rings) and C.S. Lewis (The Chronicles of Narnia) met with a group called ''The Inklings,'' on a weekday morning in a cafe and Thursday evenings at Lewis' house, often reading their manuscripts aloud to get input. 

Action Point: Don't go it alone. Remember: The road to success is paved with failures.

IV. Resist Resilience Killers.

Quote: "All my mistakes -- all my stupid (mess-ups) I can categorically tell you are a direct result of alcohol and drugs or both." (Ozzy Osborne)

Action Point: Avoid anything that might rob you of your success. Remember: The road to success is paved with failures.

V. Find Something Worth Being Resilient About