It doesn’t matter if you’re skilled, talented, educated, and brilliant. If you’re not resilient, persistent and gritty, you’ll never make the most of the other traits.

Think about the most successful people you know. There’s a good chance that they’ve faced some struggles, maybe even failure. It’s hard to be successful without facing challenging situations. It’s how you respond to these moments that defines your success. When you’re able to face the problems head on, find a solution, and carry on, you’ll find yourself even stronger for it. This response to failure is resilience.

Resilience is something that can improve with practice. Understanding what resilience is and how it can improve your life is an important way to start.

Here are 9 more techniques to help you build your personal resilience.

1. Stay in contact with others. 

When times are tough, it’s natural to isolate yourself. However, this is a mistake. Your support system is the most important in these times. The idea that independent people are the strongest is a myth. You’re much stronger when you have help and support. Put effort into maintaining your relationships.

2. Have high hopes. 

It’s easier to be strong when you know things will improve. Consider some of the struggles in your life. Were you able to survive most of them? When you believe better times are coming, grit and resilience come easier to you. Focus on a realistic positive outcome.

3. Remember that the most successful people are those with the most resilience. 

It might seem easy to be wealthy and successful, but we rarely hear the stories of the struggles faced by the most successful people. These people were willing to face challenges and learn from them.

4. Take excellent care of yourself. 

This is one of the most important steps you can take. No matter what is happening in your life, you still need food, rest, exercise, fun and love. Taking good care of yourself allows you to be stronger when you are faced with challenges. When you are struggling, it’s more important than ever to focus on taking care of yourself.

5. Be active, not passive. 

When you’re doing something to make progress, even the smallest amount of progress, you will find that you are more likely to keep going. Rather than waiting for your circumstances to change, take steps to make some improvements. If there is something constructive you can do, do it.

6. Give yourself mental breaks. 

No matter how resilient you may be, if you neglect to give yourself a break, your resilience will start to diminish. Make a list of things you can do to give yourself a mental break. These may include watching a movie, reading a book, taking a walk in nature, or simply taking a nap. 

7. Remind yourself of the adversity you’ve faced and overcome. 

Everyone faces adversity throughout their lives. If you look back through your life journey, you will most likely find moments that challenged you. Even if these situations felt impossible in the moment, it’s important to recognize that you survived them. You most likely learned new skills and found additional support systems. It’s ok to be proud of how you handled those challenges and remember that pride when facing new struggles. 

8. Live a life that revolves around your interests. 

If you have a job you dislike, it’s hard to have a lot of grit and resilience. It’s much easier to build perseverance when you’re doing something you love. Find a career and hobbies that you love. By keeping yourself involved in activities you enjoy, you’ll inevitably find it easier to face challenges head on.

9. Spend time with resilient people. 

You become a reflection of the people you spend your time with. Choose these friends wisely. When associating with strong people, you will find the support and motivation to become a stronger person yourself. 

Imagine what could you do if you worked to build your resilience and grit. Nothing would be able to hold you back.

While it’s important to spend time building skills, it is also productive to learn how to apply those skills in any situation. 

Build resilience and grit into your life and enjoy greater success.