Resilient Personalities, Strong Personalities
There are individuals among us who, despite experiencing setbacks and suffering, have the ability to stay strong, to keep their heads above water, and to fight back; they are characterized by having a resilient personality. It is as if, thanks to their fortitude, they are immune to the unfortunate events life throws at them.
Once there was a farmer who owned a small ranch, where he worked the fields and raised some horses. One day, the foreman of the ranch came to the farmer and told him his best horse had fallen into a deep hole. The farmer went to the hole, and tried and tried, in many different way, to get the horse out. However, he was not able to get the horse out, and in the end, had no other option but to fill the hold and bury the horse. While filling the hole, the horse, demonstrating its will to go on living, did not let itself be buried. Instead, he used each shovelful of earth to climb higher, and make his way to the top of the hole, until he was able to climb out.
What attitude do you usually take in life?
Are you like the horse, who used the dirt to climb out and escape from the hole? Or, on the other hand, would you let yourself be overwhelmed by the situation? If your response to the first question was ‘yes’, then it is because you have a strong, resilient personality.
The difference between someone with a strong personality and others is that they are able to accept what happens in life in a different way; they derive strength where others see weakness, and always continue moving forward.
According to a psychologist from the University of Chicago, “strong” people (not in the physical sense, but rather the mental), have several characteristics in common: they are committed, self-controlled, and always oriented towards what they want. They are not only able to enjoy life, but are also extremely successful in whatever it is destiny has in store for them.
Furthermore, people with strong personalities are able to overcome adversity and common misfortunes, such as the death of a loved one, a divorce, unemployment, or lack of money.
As earlier stated, if you have a strong or resilient personality, like the horse from the story, it is partly because you have a great ability to commit to things. You emphatically believe in your ability to move forward, that each inconvenience is a lesson learned to be remembered for the next time, and that everything has a silver lining.
This commitment can be put into practice in many different ways, and is not only reflected in the difficult moments, but rather in every area of life. It will be easier to solve everything, to be practical when making decisions while others may need more time to think, and even to help others deal with their own problems.
In second place, a “resilient” person has unshakable control over their own life. That is to say, one is motivated by oneself and what he or she is able to do and to give.
A third characteristic is that strong people accept challenges, and are not afraid of detachment or taking a chance on something uncertain. They understand that taking a chance is the only way to modify an unsatisfactory reality and understand that failures are truly lessons to be learned from.
Do you think you have a strong and resilient personality? What situations in your daily life confirm this? And if you don’t feel particularly strong, all it takes is growing and developing in a different way. Remember, everyone can improve! All you have to do is commit to it!
“Strength does not come from physical capacity, but rather from indomitable will.”
-Mahatma Gandhi-
