Showcase of Resiliency
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Hard-Working Tolerant Courageous Strong Determined RESILIENT Intuitive Independant Versatile Motivated Hopeful
"Difficulties break some men but make others" - Nelson Mandela
The experience of resilience
Resilience in short is a person's ability to adapt to push through physical tensions, to adapt to stressful or problematic situations or crises, as well as to sustain an individual's sense of self and purpose through a set of beliefs, principles, morals or values in a community and/or individually. More resilient people are able to 'roll with the punches' and adapt to adversity without lasting difficulties, while less resilient people have a harder time with stress and personal life changes. Most of these factors mainly depend on one's experiences with challenging or traumatic times and the way that they pulled themselves back up from failure.
Louie Zamperini 'Zamp' (1917 - 2014)
This first 32 years of Zamperini's life was turbulent as he went from being a local menace to a celebrated national champion, an enthusiastic lieutenant in the US Army Air Corps to a struggling Prisoner of War (POW). Zamperini's resilience throughout his life is highlighted by his demonstration of the enduring distinguishing trait of emotional strength, which stands as a vital value to his ability to survive during the war. Through an exploration of his tight and constrained experience of resilience emerges the understanding that such stages/events of life must be faced with emotional strength and adversity in order to prevail.
Nelson Mandela (1918 - 2013)
The leadership lesson from Mandela's life is one of resilience. Throughout decades of personal oppression and a situation that just about everyone would consider hopeless, Mandela never lost hope. His repeated display of emotional strength epitomised the human spirit, ultimately leading to his survival during 27 years of imprisonment. While very few human beings could ever approach Mandela's level of commitment, resilience is a critical trait for leaders as he became President of South Africa after being released from prison. Mandela's lifelong mission was racial equality. Thanks in large part to his unyielding efforts over decades and the example he set for the world, humanity has come a long way on the issue, because he remained committed to that vision even when logic suggests that it would never be more than a dream, as well as acknowledging that that path to achievement certainly isn't easy and to never ever give up.
Thomas Edison (1847 - 1931)
Edison failed 1000 times before successfully creating the lightbulb. Although the exact number of tries has been debated, ranging from 1000 to 10,000 attempts, it's safe to say he tried and failed a whole lot before he invented his beacon of light. His response to his failures? "I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work". Those who like using the telephone, listening to music, or reading in the light would have been negatively affected if Edison wasn't resilient. He not only taught himself but other leaders too that even in defeat and loss, no matter to what extent, there is victory and success on the other side. Although Edison failed countless times while at work, their resilience made them overcome those losses.