Resilience is the ability to bounce back from adversity and thrive despite life’s challenges. Research spanning over 30 years has delved into the inner nature of highly resilient survivors, identifying key traits that enable them to navigate difficulties with grace and strength. These qualities can be nurtured and developed, empowering anyone to build resilience in their own life.
Here are the top 10 qualities of highly resilient people:
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Playful, Childlike Curiosity
Resilient individuals retain a childlike sense of wonder. They ask questions, explore, experiment, and aren’t afraid to make mistakes. They find joy in learning, asking, “What if I did this?” or “What’s different now?” Their ability to find humour and play in even difficult situations helps them navigate life’s ups and downs with ease.
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Constant Learning from Experience
Highly resilient people quickly learn from their experiences, especially those that are unexpected or challenging. They reflect on their mistakes and adapt, asking, “What is the lesson here?” or “What signs did I miss?” Their capacity for self-reflection allows them to grow and improve continually.
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Adaptability
Flexibility is key to resilience. Resilient individuals can adapt to new circumstances swiftly, balancing opposing traits such as being both strong and gentle, logical and intuitive, serious and playful. They can think critically about potential pitfalls while maintaining a positive outlook, asking, “What could go wrong, and how can I avoid it?”
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Solid Self-Esteem and Confidence
Resilience is grounded in strong self-esteem and confidence. Resilient people accept themselves, embrace constructive criticism, and bounce back from setbacks. Self-confidence allows them to tackle challenges without waiting for reassurance, drawing strength from past successes. They believe in their capabilities, stating, “These are my reliable strengths.”
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Healthy Relationships
Good friendships and loving relationships are critical to resilience. Those with strong social support are more stress-resistant and less likely to suffer from emotional or physical distress. Resilient people confide in loved ones, which enhances their self-worth and provides a buffer against life’s hardships.
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Emotional Honesty
Resilient people express their emotions openly and honestly. They are in touch with the full range of human emotions—from love to grief—and can choose when to express or suppress feelings for the greater good. This emotional clarity allows them to manage stress more effectively.
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Optimism and Positive Expectations
A core trait of resilience is deep-rooted optimism. Resilient individuals expect things to turn out well, even when faced with ambiguity or uncertainty. They bring stability to chaos and ask, “How can I help ensure a positive outcome for everyone involved?” This positive attitude strengthens their ability to navigate crises.
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Empathy and Perspective-Taking
Resilient people possess strong empathy. They can put themselves in others’ shoes, even in conflict, and strive for solutions that benefit everyone. They ask, “What are others feeling? How do they experience me?” This ability to see through the eyes of others fosters collaboration and strengthens relationships.
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Use of Intuition and Creative Thinking
Resilient people trust their instincts and creative hunches. They rely on intuition to guide their decisions, asking questions like, “What is my gut telling me?” or “What if I approached this differently?” This openness to creative solutions helps them navigate the unknown with confidence.
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Turning Adversity into Opportunity
Perhaps the most defining trait of resilience is the ability to transform adversity into opportunity. Resilient individuals view challenges as lessons and misfortune as opportunities for growth. They ask, “Why is it good that this happened?” or “What is the gift in this?” This mindset allows them to thrive in situations that may break others.
Building resilience is an ongoing process. The qualities mentioned above highlight how resilient people adapt, learn, and grow through challenges, emerging stronger with each experience. By cultivating these traits, we can all learn to face adversity with optimism, flexibility, and strength.
So, how resilient are you?
Download the Resilience Evaluation Tool to get a deeper understanding of your current level of resilience, identify areas where it may be lacking, and help you build strategies to strengthen it.