How resilience fuels lasting motivation
Life is full of setbacks. It’s just part of the deal. The unpredictability of life that brings us so much joy can also throw us many curveballs.
As much as it can be satisfying to rage against the machine when things don’t go as we hoped or planned, research shows that there’s a stronger, healthier kid on the block for helping you through tough times. It’s that big ‘R’ word you’re probably sick of hearing about: resilience.
Defined as the ability to bounce back from setbacks, resilience is a buzzword for a reason. When things are happening outside of your control — perhaps in politics, at work, in your community — resilience is something that you can grow and shape. It’s like a muscle you can train, and the stronger it gets, the easier it is to stay motivated during life’s ups and downs.
So how do you build resilience? It doesn’t happen overnight, but in the small shifts you make to your daily habits. Here are some ideas:
Reframe. Instead of ‘I failed’, try ‘I learned’.
Pause, don’t power through. Rest fuels resilience and helps you build long-term strength.
Lean on your people. Support networks are one of the strongest predictors of resilience. These don’t have to be traditional forms of support — like sitting at the same dinner table every night — but can be found in group chats and voice notes, or through shared hobbies and activities.
Remember your why. Remind yourself what matters most to you. A sense of purpose keeps you going, even when motivation wanes.
Resilience doesn’t mean forcing a smile through hard times or pretending everything is fine. It means accepting that you’ll stumble sometimes and trusting that you’ll find the strength to try again. Similarly, motivation doesn’t mean you’ll never hit a wall — it’s about trusting that when walls appear, you’ll figure out a way forward.
How might you start strengthening your resilience muscle today?