Editors note: This is a guest article about the power of resilience. Whilst not strictly about the oil industry, we are known to be some of the hardiest, most resilient people. The current slump is still affecting many of us, so this article might help some readers.

Have you ever thought that a diamond is nothing but carbon? Coal is also carbon. But what makes diamonds stand out? Well, it is the most precious stone on earth because of its ability to withstand the test of time and strength to undergo refinement.

This is similar to how the best abilities of a person shine when they are able to withstand challenges, overcome shortcomings, and improve based on their experiences. In regards to this, let’s understand how successful people bounce back from the most challenging situations in life.

The Power of Resilience – The Key to a Successful Bounce Back

Did you know that the world’s richest person’s first product was a failure? Yes, Bill Gates’ ‘Traf-O-Data’ that could read and process the data in traffic tapes amounted to nothing commercially. Had he stopped there, Microsoft may have never been created.

What made him pursue his ambitions? What took him to the decorated pedestal of being the world’s richest person? What made him bounce back from his adverse situation? The word that answers all these questions is his ‘resilience’.

In simple words, ‘resilience’ is one’s mental ability to fight and not give up even when situations are not favorable. Every one of us has fought our way through our mother’s womb to be the person we are today.

We are born with the innate quality to fight and survive. But what makes us a successful person is the resilience that we gain through our successes and failures in life. Yes, it is pivotal for you to learn from your mistakes so you can become stronger but how do you accomplish this?

Never Dwell on Your Failures

We must understand that failure is a part of everyone’s life and mistakes are the sign of progress. If we do not commit mistakes it means that we are not trying. Thomas Edison failed thousands of times before inventing the electric light bulb. Now that is perseverance! You have to fight through these failures if you are going to achieve success.

It is not wrong to feel bad after failing or not doing that well or worry about what could have possibly caused it. This is natural. However, it is crucial to understand what happened and to approach it practically, rather than emotionally. As the Harvard Business Review says, response-oriented thinking will help in enabling you to focus on what to do next instead of dwelling on what happened.

For example, if you are suddenly put in a position of leading your team at work, instead of complaining about this increased responsibility or feeling handicapped since your boss is not around, you should see it as an opportunity to learn something new and to come through for yourself, the team, and the organization.

Be Mindful, Retrospect, and Update Yourself

Another vital quality about resilient people is that they never wait for a miracle to happen in their life. Instead, they make their own miracles or construct their own destiny. They keep setting targets for the long and short term and work hard to achieve them. It is essential that we keep a level of integrity and self-esteem for ourselves as well.

We must always try hard to maintain that integrity so that we never lose confidence in our abilities. Have a sense of self-awareness and mindfulness on what you do. Always keep your goals in mind and self-retrospect once in a while, on whether you are giving 100% towards achieving that goal. In regards to integrity, no one is going to voluntarily be impressed with you or follow you if you lack integrity since integrity connotes trust.

Also, we must learn to develop new tastes every so often so that we can survive seasonal changes. We must learn to adapt and accept the changes that come by our way. If we do not update our minds to the changing times, your mind can become rusty and lack nimbleness. You want to be quick on your feet.

Embrace Your Imperfections and be Positive

While it is important to be determined to face adverse situations in life, we should also learn to be more positive. We reap the results of what we think. Be positive helps you solve the problems that you face every day.

Always remember that you cannot be on your own all the time. No one has superpowers that allow them to climb to the top without going up the ladder. There is nothing wrong in embracing one’s imperfections and seeking help to overcome them. Everyone has their strengths and if you work hard, display integrity, remain positive, you will be able to get someone else or others to help you out in regards to your weaknesses so the team, and yourself, is successful.

The Magical Mixture of Resilience

The art of resilience lies in positivity, perseverance, and pro-activeness. You will face setbacks and it is healthy and mature to be disappointed but you do not want to dwell on them all week long, or even all day (depending on the situation), since that will undermine that resiliency that is needed to be able to strive forward and rebound from this setback.

When it comes to adversity, make a conscious effort to remain calm and think about what to next. Remember, if it was easy everyone would be doing it!

Whenever you fall, remember that Einstein never spoke until he was four and his own teachers did not think he would amount to much. You should know that Jim Carrey was homeless once and so was Jay Leno and both reached the pinnacle of success. With confidence, fortitude, and consistency, you can be resilient too! If it helps, remember this: I can, I will, and I must.