Resilience is often born from the toughest challenges life throws our way.

If you’ve faced adversity head-on and come out the other side stronger, you’ve likely built a level of resilience that sets you apart from most people.

Whether you realize it or not, the experiences you’ve lived through have shaped you into someone who can weather life’s storms with grace and determination.

And I’m not just talking about big stuff like trauma or loss. Even small, everyday challenges can fortify your resilience in surprising ways.

In this article, we’ll explore eight specific experiences that, if you’ve endured them, prove just how resilient you truly are.

1) You’ve faced significant adversity

Psychology defines resilience as the ability to bounce back from adversity.

Adversity could be many things. Maybe you’ve been through a traumatic loss, or perhaps you’ve fought through a serious illness. Or you might have suffered financial hardship or personal disappointment.

These experiences, while tough, have the potential to make you stronger. Because when life knocks you down, how you get up again is what truly determines your resilience.

When you’re confronted with adversity, you have two choices. You can let it defeat you, or you can rise above it.

The experience of overcoming significant challenges builds a mental toughness that can’t be forged in any other way.

If you’ve made it through these kinds of experiences, you’re not just surviving—you’re thriving. 

But here’s the key: it’s not just about surviving adversity. It’s about learning from it and using it as a stepping stone to come out stronger on the other side.

2) You’ve had to be self-reliant

There’s something about having to rely on yourself that builds resilience.

Experiences that require self-reliance compel you to dig deep within yourself, such as:

• Being the first in your family to go to university
• Moving to a new city where you don’t know a soul
• Living alone for the first time
• Starting your own business

Being self-reliant pushes you out of your comfort zone. It forces you to solve problems, make decisions, and navigate challenges on your own.

There’s no safety net, no fallback. It’s just you and the situation at hand. And it’s in these moments that you discover what you’re truly made of.

If you’ve had experiences where you’ve had to be self-reliant, it has likely added a layer of toughness and tenacity to your character that only such experiences can provide.

3) You’ve experienced failure

I’ve failed. Multiple times. And so have most successful people.

Failure is not fun. It’s often accompanied by a cocktail of embarrassment, disappointment, and self-doubt.

But it’s also one of the most powerful teachers.

If you’ve experienced failure – whether it was flunking an important exam, getting fired from a job, or having a business venture fall flat – you know the sting all too well.

But the thing about failure is that it forces you to:

• Confront your weaknesses
• Reassess your approach
• Find new ways to achieve your goals

It’s through this process of trial and error that resilience is built. Each setback is an opportunity to become stronger, wiser, and more determined.

So if you’ve tasted failure and have managed to pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and try again – you’ve demonstrated an impressive level of resilience.

4) You’ve developed mental toughness

If you’ve ever been in a situation where you’ve had to dig deep and find the strength to keep going, you’re no stranger to mental toughness.

Mental toughness is all about resilience under pressure. It’s about staying focused and motivated in the face of adversity, and it’s a key indicator of resilience.

I’ve seen a lot of people crumble under pressure. But I’ve also seen people who, when the going gets tough, manage to find a well of strength within themselves to keep moving forward.

That’s mental toughness.

In my book, The Art of Resilience: A Practical Guide to Developing Mental Toughness, I dive deep into how you can cultivate this kind of resilience. It’s not something you’re born with; it’s something you build.

Developing mental toughness is like building a muscle. It takes time, effort, and consistency.

But once you’ve built it, it serves as a powerful tool in your arsenal for tackling life’s challenges.

So if you’ve been through experiences that have forced you to develop mental toughness, it’s a clear sign that you’re more resilient than the average person.

5) You’ve allowed yourself to be vulnerable

This may seem counter-intuitive, but many psychologists such as Dr. Sandra Parker agree that being vulnerable can make you more resilient.

Resilience isn’t about being invincible or never showing any signs of weakness. On the contrary, it’s about acknowledging your emotions and allowing yourself to feel them fully.

Perhaps you’ve gone through a heartbreak and allowed yourself to grieve openly.

Maybe you’ve admitted to a mistake and apologized sincerely. Or you’ve had the courage to share your fears and insecurities with someone you trust.

These experiences of vulnerability require immense courage. They force you to confront your emotions head-on, rather than suppressing or avoiding them.

And in doing so, you’re actually strengthening your emotional resilience. You’re proving to yourself that you can experience pain, process it, and come out on the other side.

6) You’ve taken risks

Psychology shows that risk-taking helps children build resilience, but the same is true for us adults.

Perhaps you’ve :

• Made a significant career change
• Moved to a new country
• Invested in a startup

These are all risks that could have led to failure, but you took them anyway.

Taking risks puts you in situations where the outcome is uncertain. It’s scary, yes, but it also forces you to adapt and learn quickly.

Whether the risk pays off or not, the fact that you’ve had the courage to take it speaks volumes about your resilience.

It shows that you’re not afraid of uncertainty or failure. Instead, you see them as opportunities for growth and learning.

And this ability to embrace risk and uncertainty is a key characteristic of resilient people.

7) You’ve persevered

Perseverance is the hallmark of resilience. And it’s something I’ve learned the hard way.

Whether it’s persisting in your pursuit of a difficult goal, sticking to a challenging task until it’s completed, or simply refusing to give up when everything seems against you, perseverance shows resilience in its purest form.

I remember when I first started Hack Spirit. There were countless times when things didn’t go as planned and I felt like throwing in the towel.

But I didn’t. I kept going. And it’s that quality of perseverance that has brought me to where I am today.

If you’ve ever been in a situation where giving up would have been the easiest option, but you chose to stick it out instead, you’ve demonstrated a high level of resilience.

The path of least resistance is often tempting. But choosing to persevere even when the going gets tough is what sets resilient people apart.

8) You’ve practiced gratitude

Finally, you might not think of gratitude as a marker of resilience, but it can be a powerful tool in building it.

If you’ve made a habit of practicing gratitude, even in the face of adversity, you’re showing a key aspect of resilience.

Gratitude helps you to see the positive aspects of your life, even when things are tough. It shifts your focus from what’s going wrong to what’s going right.

So if you’ve cultivated a habit of expressing gratitude, even during hard times, you’re demonstrating an incredible level of resilience.

It shows that you have the ability to keep a positive perspective and to appreciate the good when faced with the bad.

Final thoughts

Resilience isn’t something that’s handed to you; it’s something you build. And it’s often the result of these significant life experiences.

Each one challenges you and pushes your boundaries, but they also equip you with the mental toughness needed to navigate life’s ups and downs.

If you’ve lived through these experiences and grown from them, you’re likely more resilient than the average person.

But remember, resilience is a muscle that we must continue to build.

In my book The Art of Resilience: A Practical Guide to Developing Mental Toughness, I delve into practical strategies to further build your resilience muscle.