Resiliency is the ability to spring back from and successfully adapt to adversity. Over the years, many parts of the world have suffered terrible disasters. Tsunamis, tornados, hurricanes, earthquakes and volcanoes took their devastating tolls on human lives, homes and possessions, leaving many without homes and material resources. Already fragile national economies have been put in further turmoil, leaving a lot of people wondering about their future. The toll on human life and spirit has been, at times, unbearable.

While it's natural and understandable to feel devastated in such situations, some people bounce back far more quickly than others. Instead of dwelling on what they've lost and becoming depressed, these people focus their energies on what they still have. They pick themselves up and use their remaining strength and resources to start over once again.

The ability to take a hit and bounce back is your resiliency factor. It has much to do with your overall feelings of self worth. It also has a lot to do with your belief about whether your life is largely controlled by you or by forces beyond your control. Is your glass half full, or half empty? It often is a state of mind.

People with high self-esteem and an internal sense of control over their lives are more resilient. They bounce back more quickly than those who feel their lives are controlled by others or events beyond their control. What is your resiliency factor?

Napoleon Hill said, "The strongest oak of the forest is not the one that is protected from the storm and hidden from the sun. It's the one that stands in the open where it is compelled to struggle for its existence against the winds and rains and the scorching sun."

Each of us has the innate capacity for resiliency, but to what extent? You can develop the qualities in yourself that can sustain about anything that man can throw against you. You have to be like the tree that springs back to its form after strong winds have been thrown against it. You can learn to be so resilient that no personal setback can keep you down for long. The ability to bounce back quickly means your resiliency factor is higher than those who don't.

Successful people fail, but successful people are prepared to fail more, and they are more persistent than others. It's up to you. Increase your resiliency factor and improve your chances to succeed.