Resilience Isn’t Just About Bouncing Back, It’s About Bouncing Forward.
Written by Jim Steele.

Jim Steele is one of our Eternal Optimists — a dynamic voice in performance psychology and leadership. With decades of experience coaching high-performing teams and individuals, Jim brings energy, insight, and science-backed strategies to everything he does.

In this article, Jim redefines what resilience really means in today’s fast-paced world — not just bouncing back from setbacks, but bouncing forward with purpose, clarity, and strength.

O.K. so let’s be real for a minute.

Resilience gets tossed around in the business world like it’s a badge of honour “just tough it out,” “dig deeper,” “power through.”
But that’s not resilience. That’s a fast track to burnout.
Resilience isn’t about enduring more, it’s about adapting more!

Building the mental, physical, and emotional capacity to navigate pressure and come out stronger on the other side. That’s the foundation of what I explore in my book Unashamedly Superhuman. How to access elite performance while protecting the human behind it. 

Here’s are a few science-backed tips and tricks.

Step 1: Aim Up and Become Better

Resilience starts with direction. With purpose. With belief.

When people feel like they’re moving toward something meaningful not just reacting to chaos they show up differently. Becoming better isn’t about perfection. It’s about intentional, incremental improvement and it creates momentum.

Resilience Hack: Future Visualization

Just 3 minutes visualising yourself handling pressure, staying calm in the storm and delivering your best trains your nervous system to treat those moments as familiar. The brain doesn’t distinguish between real and vividly imagined experiences, so this primes you for performance.

Resilience Hack: Micro Wins. Celebrate outcome AND effort.

Your brain is wired to spot threats. Being resilient is about shifting our attention from outcome to progress. 

Try this: At regular intervals during the day, mid-morning, lunchtime and mid-afternoon, take just one minute to reflect on either a win achieved or recognise the effort that you’ve put in. This small habit boosts dopamine and reinforces forward momentum even on the tough days.

Step 2: Build SMARTER Minds

In Unashamedly Superhuman, I wrote:

“Self-regulation is about rewiring our relationship with stress, so it becomes a source of energy, not exhaustion.”

That’s the heart of mental resilience, learning to work with your biology, not against it.

Resilience Hack: Mindset Reframe

Difficult situation? Decide there are only two possible outcomes. You’re either going to win or you’re going to learn how to win. Ask yourself: “What’s this here to teach me?” This simple shift activates the brain’s higher reasoning centres, moving you from reactive mode into growth mode. It’s one of the most accessible ways to stay mentally agile. 

Resilience Hack: The Physiological Sigh

This is one of the fastest ways to de-compress and re-set. It’s called the double inhale, extended exhale. Fully inhale through your nose, then take a second shorter inhale on top. Exhale slowly through the mouth. It regulates your nervous system, drops your heart rate, and clears the mental fog. Use it before a tough meeting or right after an adrenaline spike.

Step 3: Become STRONGER from the Inside Out

Energy is the hidden engine behind performance and it’s something you can train, not just manage.

One of the central ideas in Unashamedly Superhuman is that recovery isn’t what you do after the work. It is the work. Without it, performance becomes unsustainable.

Resilience Hack: Ultradian Rhythm Breaks

Science shows your brain works best in 90-minute focus cycles. After that, cognitive fatigue sets in. Insert a 10-minute break to reset your nervous system. Any activity that temporarily quietens the mind. Laptop off, tunes on. Meditate, mindful breathing, whatever floats your boat. These breaks sharpen attention, restore motivation, and reduce burnout risk over time.

Resilience Hack: Active Recovery break 

One of the best ways to reset your physiology is movement, especially outdoors. Just 10 minutes of walking in natural light lowers cortisol, boosts mood, and improves cognitive flexibility. Think of it as a reset button for both brain and body.

Here’s the Bottom Line:

Resilience isn’t about pushing through endlessly.

It’s about building the systems that let you rise, recover, and re-engage.

That’s how we bounce forward.

Better. Smarter. Stronger.Together.

🎥 Want a glimpse of Jim in action? Watch his YouTube showreel here.

Interested in bringing this energy to your team?
If you think Jim — or any of our Eternal Optimists — could add value to your next corporate day, offsite, or event, we’d love to hear from you.