NOUN
[MASS NOUN]

1 The ability of a substance or object to spring back into shape; elasticity: nylon is excellent in wearability, abrasion resistance and resilience
2 The capacity to recover quickly from difficulties; toughness: the often remarkable resilience of so many British institutions

This month, I’ve been exceptionally fortunate to travel home to Australia to help my parent’s celebrate their golden wedding anniversary.

Going home is always a wonderful opportunity to reconnect with old friends and spend time catching up, discussing life and it’s challenges and reflecting on things back in the UK. People often want to know how Pure Sports Medicine is going, what’s helped to grow the business, what problems we’ve encountered and what we did to solve them. The conversation often turns to what is needed to be successful in life; personally and / or professionally.

During this trip, the concept of resilience came up on several occasions, with many conversations about the importance of being able to pick yourself up when things don’t go your way in your personal life, or the need to try something different if a business idea doesn’t work or you don’t get the response you were hoping for. Although history is full of tales of people who’ve triumphed over adversity, it is only in the last 50 years that the concept of resilience has been studied more scientifically. The increasing awareness of it was apparent when one of my best friends told me that she had been to 2 lectures at her son’s school on the topic of developing resilience in your children. We both agreed that it wasn’t something our parents had received lectures on.

I think it’s a great word and a great concept. Successful people in business are often described as tough, which suggests they are rigid and unyielding. But I think often these successful people are more likely to be resilient – to have a flexibility that allows them to adapt and change tactics if required, to bounce back when things go wrong, to resist the temptation to take the easy option in dealing with difficult decisions and to endure the long hours and hard work because they see the bigger picture in what they are trying to achieve. I definitely recognise the trait in many of the successful people I know and respect, both personally and professionally.

There is lots of information out there about building resilience. Common thoughts on important factors include:

• Developing strong and supportive relationships
• Setting realistic and achievable goals
• Maintaining a positive outlook
• Being kind to yourself and having confidence in your strengths and abilities

A lot of which is easier said than done. I’ve made a resolution to take a bit more time for myself over the summer to work on my resilience. Perhaps you should consider doing something to work on yours.

Read more of Claire’s health and wellness tips here:

• Claire Small Says Life is Not a Spectator Sport