Resilience, or the ability to bounce back, is a quality that everyone would benefit from having. It helps us overcome adversity and learn from it to be better equipped for future challenges. Resilience can be learned and practice through a daily routine.
The Seven C that will help you build Resilience through practice are:
- Connection (to self)
- Conviction
- Caution/Mindfulness
- Creativity
- Compassion
- Commitment
- Confidence
Additionally, there are specific ways to practice the Seven C’s to receive the benefits of building resilience.
Read on to discover the seven C’s of resilience and how to practice them. Additionally, we will discuss two of the top thought leaders talking about resilience and learn more about them. Resilience can be achieved by practicing the seven C’s of resilience, and we will reveal how doing so can benefit you.
Article Topics
Why Is Practicing Resilience Important?
Resilience is critical for anyone seeking to thrive in difficult times, either when they’ve just received an academic rejection letter, or their parents are battling cancer. Being resilient means being able to bounce back from any situation emotionally and mentally, no matter how hard it may be.
The importance of resilience is rooted in neuroscience. Being resilient means being able to bounce back from any situation emotionally and mentally, no matter how hard it may be.
This skill helps us when we’re faced with a challenge or disruption by giving us the resilience needed to persist through difficult times and overcome adversity until we reach our goal of success.
Although resilience can’t protect you from every difficulty that comes your way, practicing resilience skills will help improve your ability to deal with tough situations so they don’t derail you completely. When life throws you an obstacle that seems too daunting for anyone without some level of resilience training, practice these seven simple steps.
(If practicing resilience isn’t enough, check out this online course to build resilience!)
Who Are the Top Thought Leaders on the Topic of Resilience?
Building self-awareness of one’s personal strengths and weaknesses through life experiences as well as emotions can help to keep a person grounded when they’re faced with outside circumstances or their inner turmoil. Two thought leaders are leading the talk about resilience.
The top thought leaders on the topic of resilience are resilience researcher Dr. Angela Duckworth and resilience expert Caroline Adams Miller.
Dr. Angela Lee Duckworth
Dr. Angela Lee Duckworth is a professor of psychology at the University of Pennsylvania and conducts research on non-standard measures that predict success both in academics and professionally. She received her bachelor’s degree in Neurobiology from Harvard in 1992 before going to Oxford, where she obtained her Masters’ degree in Neuroscience.
Dr. Angela Duckworth is also the author of Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance.
The book states this about resilience: “Resilience is not just surviving these challenges; it’s thriving after them.” This statement implies resilience is something built upon- how one responds to adversity determines their resilience level. The quote is saying you are what makes you resilient rather than your environment or other factors outside of your control.
Caroline Adams Miller
Caroline is a Harvard graduate with degrees in positive psychology and has written seven bestselling books about goal setting, happiness, grit, and how to live your best life.
Caroline Adams Miller is the author of Getting Grit: The Evidence-Based Approach to Cultivating Passion, Perseverance, and Purpose.
Caroline’s innovative and eye-opening TEDx talk explores the three things we can do to develop authentic grit and flourish as individuals, using her own life experiences as an example. Caroline is a Social and Life Skills Coach who has helped people across different industries. She’s worked with clients, including:
- Morgan Stanley
- Lululemon
- Blizzard Entertainment
- ScanSource
- McKinsey & Company
She has been interviewed by world-renowned media outlets including The New York Times, The Washington Post, BBC, and NPR.
The 7 C's of Resilience Explained
When you think of resilience, it’s natural to imagine the kind of person who never gives up and keeps going no matter what life throws at them. But resilience isn’t just about being tough–it includes a whole range of skills that enable people to bounce back from adversity. The Seven C’s framework for resilience:
- Connection (to self)
- Conviction
- Caution/Mindfulness
- Creativity
- Compassion
- Commitment
- Confidence
Practicing these seven traits will help you build resilience that can be there for you as you encounter difficult situations later in life.
Building Resilience Through Connection
Connecting with friends & family who know you well provides emotional support when times get tough. When everything seems bleak, look for someone who can offer encouragement or simply listen without judgment.
The right person at just the right time can go a long way toward changing how you feel about your situation and help put things into perspective. Without this connection, resilience would seem impossible to achieve.
Connection to oneself is just as important as the connections made with other people. Truly knowing yourself and how you will react to difficult situations will help you have peace of mind when tough times come along. Strive to learn more about yourself and how you operate under pressure.
Building Resilience Through Conviction
What if resilience were a choice? Conviction is the belief that resilience can be achieved through one’s:
- Actions
- Thoughts
- Attitude
It means being able to look at uncomfortable emotions to find meaning from them. Conviction is a belief in resilience as an outcome rather than resilience being the cause.
No matter the tough times you encounter, try to stay positive. Seek joy and meaning in your life, no matter what happens. Remember, those bad situations cannot last forever- find something good about today and focus on that. Conviction is about staying strong and believing in the outcome and yourself.
To be resilient, you must take care of your mental and physical health. Practice self-care every day by taking the time to meditate or express gratitude. You should also make sure to have a healthy sleep schedule and do what makes you happy in life–even if it’s only for an hour.
Do not ignore stressful situations that come along. Instead, proactively look at them with potential solutions. Finding out creative ways to solve problems will give you the clarity needed to restore some balance. Giving yourself enough time for recovery is essential as well, so feel free to take a break when required because your situation will get better with time!
Building Resilience by Using Caution
Caution isn’t about controlling people or limiting their options, which many people associate with caution. Caution builds resilience because using caution in your everyday life will help you avoid unnecessary stressful situations. Not every experience will add value to your life, but you need enough experiences to create a diversity of thought so that resilience will come into play when needed most.
Build Resilience with Your Creativity
Resilience requires some creativity because what works today might not work tomorrow. Creative thinking makes us more adaptive by allowing us to see new ways of doing things.
Creativity isn’t just about art or expression. It is also a way to develop resilience because new ideas and creative thinking can assist you in solving problems. Resilience doesn’t always come naturally, but creativity gives us all abilities. When looking at challenges creatively and from various angles, it becomes easier to solve difficult problems in interesting and new ways that we may not have thought of before.
Resilience and strong creativity within your business will help you change with an ever-changing market. Business owners and creative leaders will have an easier time working to develop their business and will develop resilience from it.
Building Resilience with Compassion
The world does not revolve around just you, so developing a sense of compassion toward others can help you grow as an individual while also helping them find resilience. When we can empathize with those around us without judgment, then resilience takes on new meaning. Compassion will help you be more creative, and resilience will drive your creativity.
Resilient individuals can bounce back more easily after hardship and process the challenges they experience. Resilience helps those who are resilient want to do things in return for others and spread gratitude. Paying it forward is one way to show compassion and appreciation for those around them at any given time.
People with resilience feel empowered to pay it forward. Whether it’s helping a classmate struggling in class or helping a stranger carry groceries, making sure you pay it forward can bolster your sense of empowerment and help build up your resilience.
Building Resilience with Commitment/Tenacity
What separates those who get back up after being knocked down from those who don’t? Commitment and tenacity. Those who commit to resilience work will take the time out of their day to do it even though they may not feel like it or have the energy for it at that moment.
Equipping ourselves with resilience skills and strategies can help improve the quality of our mental health. Resilience requires an open mindset, so we must have an awareness of how our thoughts, feelings, or beliefs might be affecting us. Resilience is rooted in a willingness to make changes and take positive action on what’s been learned about oneself through life experiences.
Having at least one person with whom they feel connected is necessary for building resilience because it helps provide that safe space where you don’t need to put up defenses all the time. A resilient community fosters trust, belonging, acceptance, and love which helps build emotional intelligence.
Building Resilience Through Confidence
Confidence comes from resilience. Resilience comes from having a sense of purpose. Once we have a sense of purpose and find meaning in our lives, it’s easier to feel confident about ourselves, and more likely, that resilience will come naturally.
It’s important not to let the same bad thing be repeated over and over again. If you’re continually trying and failing at something, then it may mean it’s time for different goals or strategies. Learning how to forgive yourself when things go wrong can help build resilience because self-forgiveness helps free oneself mentally, which allows us to live without regret.
A resilient person has an internal place of control where they believe that what they do matters and have a degree of control over the outcomes in their life. Resilience is resilience, no matter who you are or where you’re from.
All of these things come together to make a very resilent person. They all take a certain level of skill and work. There are actual 7 essential skills to resilience, and working on all of them is crucial to your success.
Conclusion
How can you use the Seven C’s of resilience to get back on your feet? There are many ways, so practicing these principles daily will help you become a resilient student or businessperson, or in any other facet of your life.
The thought leaders on resilience have been leading the conversation to help those struggling to be resilient in life, develop that skill. Those thought leaders and the books they have written will help you become a more resilient person and practicing the seven C’s of resilience will help you put that into motion in your daily life.
(If teaching resilience is something that you could see yourself doing one day, check out resilience trainer certification online!)
