Building Blocks of Success: Resilience

In our building blocks of success series, we tackle the various foundational blocks we believe are essential for success. Resilience is near the top of the list, because pursuing greatness almost always means you will face losses, mistakes and tough times along your journey. The ability to bounce back is so critical and we hope the stories below will inspire you to dig deep and discover more of your own resiliency.

Emma Barrera

In my senior year of high school, I had big dreams to head to Washington, DC and pursue a degree in politics. I was set to start in one of the top ten International Affairs programs in country. Read more>>

Abby Taoj ( T- ah – j )

Sometimes I question how do I remain so resilient. One of my favorite exercises is running long distance about 30 minutes to an hour straight and during the times that I wish to quick, I can hear a voice in and around me saying ”you have more in you” and this pushes me to keep going. I wonder if they are ancestors, the most high God, or a combination of many things I’ve encountered in life’s path that was place to stopped me but only made me stronger. Read more>>

Calandria Dennis

Certain situations and hardships in my life has helped me become very resilient .Anything I’ve been through especially bad, has pushed me even harder. I always come out on top because I’m always pushing myself to cope with things in a positive light no matter what it may look like at that very moment . Read more>>

Brent Kappes

My resilience has been shaped by various life experiences, including my service in the US Navy. The discipline, determination, and sense of duty I learned during my time in the Navy have been invaluable in navigating the challenges of entrepreneurship with Bamtech. It’s taught me the importance of adaptability, teamwork, and perseverance, qualities that I’ve carried into my mission with Bamtech to create sustainable and high-quality activewear. Read more>>

Kai Griffin

I feel growing up as a queer kid there’s an intrinsic resilience that, more often than not, is compelled to develop rapidly due to extrinsic forces; those forces ranging from social constructs to authoritarian parenting to peer pressure to perceptions, etc. I learned at an early age that while not everyone is ‘out to get you’ per se, they aren’t necessarily out to help you either. Therefore, I knew I could, in most instances, only rely on helping myself, learning from the experience, and moving forward. I had a mentor once tell me, “It’s only a mistake if you don’t learn from it.” and that has stayed with me. Read more>>

Narine & David Semerdjian

Resilience is a form of push back toward a belief. In other words, resilience is developed when you have an expectation to meet a standard, but don’t and further move ahead despite how hard the task at hand may be and against anyone else’s expectation. Including your own! Read more>>

Elizabeth T. Tawose

My resilience comes from a multitude of factors, each one filling in where one may lack some days. If I am to be honest, one of those driving factors is fear. A fear of failure and a fear of poverty. Growing up, my family didn’t have much and my parents always pushed us to be “the best” in school. Read more>>

Bailey Rae Fenderson

I am resilient because of my parents have taught me to pray and trust God in all things. I have learned that obstacles leads you to greatness. Although, I am young I know that life will have events that may seem like setbacks. Read more>>

Danieka Erasmus

My resilience comes from the soil and spirit of South Africa. I grew up during a time of tremendous change; I witnessed both the dark shadow of Apartheid and the dawn of a new era. The challenges faced by our nation were immense, yet we pressed on, fueled by leaders who dared to dream and citizens who refused to quit. Read more>>

Hilton George

I’m working for myself and for a mission that is my passion. The resilience to move through day to day struggle comes from a different place and keeps me going when I otherwise wouldn’t. Being in the right place, with the right mission. Read more>>

Diana “D” Romero

I come from a line of incredibly strong women. My parents and extended family are from Colombia, S.A., and my parents immigrated to the US before my sister and I were born. My mother, her mother and her grandmother were huge influences when I was growing up, so I didn’t know anything other than working hard to achieve greatness. Read more>>

Nina Ce’Mone Wright

You know I really had to think about this question. Where do I get my resilience from? I’m not sure that there’s just one source for my resilience. Part of it comes from my harrowing yearning to make my dreams come true, part of it comes from me knowing that I’m not just doing it for me, that I have an assignment and a purpose to help other people and most of it is rooted in the fact that I know God called me. Read more>>

Cutrina Freeman

My resilience came from a root of strong woman who fought hard to make sure their families were nurtured. My philosophy when it comes to resilience is hands on. Being able to work along these woman aa a young child gave me the strength to not only learn from it but change the dynamics. Read more>>

Robreauna Ruiz

I get my resilience from My dad and my grandma honestly, they’re my biggest motivation. I’ve watched both of them defeat hardships in their life nearly my entire life and still remain hardworking God fearing individuals. They definitely uplift me daily and keep me afloat through this crazy thing we call life lol. Read more>>

Jenn Cornell

Developing resilience is essential for living. Beyond just it being key in making it through life, it is the way to a deeper enjoyment of being alive. Everyone has ups and downs and I have had my fair share of trials. Read more>>

Cornelius Williams

From a wonderful mother that made the best out of the hand she was dealt Read more>>

David Norec

I get my resilience from the memory of my brother and sister who lost their lives to diabetes in 2013 and 2014. Their tragic passing gives me my “why”. When times get tough, I keep scratching and crawling my way forward, using their memories as fuel and inspiration to never give up. Read more>>

Mari Maria

When I was younger, I was born with a broken clavicle, so I was in a cast for about a year. Then after I recovered, I was diagnosed with arthritis so back in a cast I went for a couple more years. During those 1st 5 years of my life, I learned very quickly and very early how fragile life was. I still had hope that life could be a good experience and I knew that if I made it out of this it was for a good reason. Read more>>

Sharif D. King

Resilience in my journey stems from my trust and faith in God. I Learned to trust in God more recently and to lean on him to advance, elevate, and excel. Throughout my life, I have pushed through a lot on my own, just having the hunger to be more, do more, and create more for myself. Read more>>

Eugeniia Gul

My resilience is deeply rooted in my upbringing, my home country, and the challenging circumstances I faced while growing up. I was forced to assume adult responsibilities at a very young age, beginning to earn a living when I was just 13 years old. At 20, I embarked on a journey of immigration all on my own, without command of the language and without the safety net of financial stability or emotional support. Read more>>

Jacques Devore

Much of my resilience came from my parents when I was growing up. My father always emphasized thinking for yourself and questioning everything. This leads to having to be resilient in the face of situations that you no not see the same way as most. Read more>>

Alicia Urizar McCallum

When faced with loss and affliction it often leads to the most crucial life-changing decision: Will this experience give me the opportunity to be Resilient and grow or will I be stagnant and motionless? Read more>>

Bea Cabrera

With my kind of mental health condition you get lows are too low and highs are extraordinarily high, but a positive in this is that springing from one side to the other happens instantly. Therefore, I am also unable to hold grudges or to negative thoughts for long. A small detail can ruin or make your day, but the silver lining is that those good days are The Best. Read more>>

Jasmine Dshay Dshay

When I was a little girl, I would climb trees, stairs, or anything that was up high and jump with the intention of flying. I use to see other kids jump from trees and some would land on their feet and others would just fall and get hurt. So I practiced jumping from shorter trees a few times and I ended hurting myself every time because I never landed on my feet. But one day I decided to give it another try and this time I proceeded with caution and with the focus of landing on my feet. Read more>>

Len Gibson

My resilience came from watching others fall short in life. I know that I wasn’t born with a silver spoon in my mouth therefore I had and still have to work twice as hard as others. With this in mind I know that failure is not necessarily an option but if I do it’s simply a hurdle not a death sentence. My will to succeed is entrenched in how I was raised. Read more>>

Annette Campbell

My resilience comes from overcoming all the personal trials I have endured most of my life. I entered foster care from birth and went back home at age 5 to losing everything 5 years ago and having to rebuild my life through depression and financial loss. I always knew that I wanted more for myself and was determined to succeed against all the odds. Read more>>

Kameale Terry

My resilience was developed through my upbringing in South Central Los Angeles. The community that raised me provided a foundation led with tenacity to go out seek the world and make a statement that I belong in any space. Read more>>

JR Ritcherson

I believe we all have spirit animals or animals we can relate to. Mine is the honey badger. Being from the badger state of Wisconsin is make perfect sense. A honey badger is one of the smallest animals out there and is known to believe God blessed me with all those traits, Being fearless and having thick skin doesn’t necessarily mean you are scared or get hurt by things it means you feel the fear and push through it because your goals and dreams are bigger than any fear. Read more>>

Ana Hollingsworth

My life has been full of challenges, but I have learned to rely on myself, and those closest to me to help me overcome any obstacles. I was born to an absentee father, a Norteño that created a new life with a new family in the US. My biological father would randomly visit Mexico, would leave my mom pregnant, spend whatever money my family had saved on alcohol and women before returning north again and again. Read more>>

Javier McIntosh

Resilience in the film industry often comes from a deep passion for storytelling, a strong vision for your projects, and the ability to adapt to challenges and setbacks. It also helps to have a supportive team and a network of industry professionals who share your passion and can offer guidance and encouragement. Additionally, personal determination and a willingness to learn and grow are key factors in building resilience in the competitive world of filmmaking. Read more>>

Athena Ryals

I think my resilience comes from realizing what comes with the alternative to being resilient. In my writing, so many obstacles have come my way: corrupted and deleted files, lack of support from friends and family, rejection from publishers and award sponsors, exhaustion, the loss of writing friends along the way. Allowing writing to fall away from my life has always been an option in response to all of these obstacles, but the trade-off is clear: I would no longer get to write. Read more>>

Rhasaan Sherrill

I believe I get my resilience from knowing that I have been blessed to do something that I truly love. For many years I found myself at jobs that were means to and end and did not tap into my natural gifting. Everyday I am thankful that I no longer in an environment that is toxic to my mind, body, and spirit. Read more>>

Latrell Carter

My resilience is motivated by the dreams I have for my future and sustained by my unwavering faith. The development of my resilience was initially delayed due to not having a suitable anchor or sense of purpose. Once there was an alignment between daily activities and future goals, my resilience gradually developed. I am now working toward something bigger than just me so whenever adversity shows up, I think about the bigger picture and push through. Read more>>

Rita Casman

I have been through a lot of things and I must say it is from God and his angels, I know I am protected safe snd valued. Read more>>

Darrin Ward

Resilience is a necessary trait in this field. In these last few years, I have had to stay determined and focused to prevail. As a pre-medical student, I worked as a neurofeedback tech, followed by attending classes at night while attaining my master’s degree in Biomedical Science. Through the health relationships with my parents, I had to become a caregiver, which contributed significantly to my resilience. Read more>>

Brian Loeffler

There was a time where I was successful at everything I did no matter what it was, and I never experienced failure. Then I went to the next level with high aspirations, and I found there were a number of people who are smarter and more talented than me, and I was getting left behind – an afterthought. Read more>>

Daniela Waterhouse

I come from a long line of strong, independent women who grew up and made their way in a world that was much less open and accommodating to women–especially business women–than the one I live in. My grandmother was born in a tiny village in the very poor, rural interior of Northeastern Brazil. She married at 15 and lived in a mud and stick house that she and my grandfather built by hand. Read more>>

Jaden Kim

I think I’ve been very influenced by anime haha! Growing up I watched shows like One Piece where the core values are never giving up no matter how hard and also how important good friends are in your life. I grew up watching shows like that and I think as a result of that I’ve always felt a strong confidence in my ability to go the extra mile and hold out until the job gets done. Read more>>

Phil Korz

Resilience is important – especially in an industry of rejection and constant NOs. You have to be willing to come back time and time again because one time it may be a yes. Fortune favors the prepared and
you need to be ready to go at any point. Read more>>

Mike Bautista

Resilience is difficult to have but It comes when I understand that everything is happening for a reason and in every ” obstacle or challenge” in life there is always a lesson to learn. Definifely love and acceptence are key and also remmember that if you focus on the positive and always do your best however that looks like , then everything gets better. Read more>>

Deldric Bratcher

My resilience comes from God. God is the source of life; God is everything. When I’m not feeling brave, I look to God for strength and guidance. Then, I turn to my family and friends for support. Read more>>

Bishop Kevin Foreman

I have learned that in order to bounce high, you are going to have to deal with the lows. It’s like a basketball, you push down in order for it to bounce up. The harder to push it down the higher it bounces up and the harder it bounces back. That is resilience. Let the low moments take you to your hight moments. Read more>>

Jennifer Woodward

My chief source of resilience is my strong relationship with a faithful God who has been my shield and strong tower my whole life. He cares for me through others in my life as well. I want to share a story. Read more>>