Build your resilience using the 7 C's model

Liz Makin Author

Sep 28, 2026 |

A look at building your resilience using Dr. Kenneth Ginsburg's 7 C's of resilience model

What is resilience?

Resilience originates from the Latin word resiliens, which refers to the pliant or elastic quality of a substance.

Resilience is the ability to recover quickly and positively from setbacks, to adapt well to change and to keep going in the face of adversity and challenging and difficult times. It can be described as the ability to ‘keep going’, ‘pick yourself up’ and ‘bounce back’ when something challenging happens in your life.

Resilience helps you to handle anything from a minor change to a major setback.

Build your resilience using the 7 C's model

The 7 C's of resilience model was developed by Dr Kenneth Ginsburg as a way of looking at the development of resilience in children. 

However this model is a very helpful way to break down the components of resilience in adulthood, and to help you identify what to work on to build your resilience.

Here are the 7 C's of resilience and what you need to do to build your resilience in each area:

1. Competence - To build your resilience adopt a growth mindset, continuously learn and develop new skills to support your personal and professional development and look for learning in all areas of your life.

2. Confidence - Increase your resilience by building your self confidence through celebrating success, seeing failures as learning opportunities and acknowledging your strengths. 

3. Connection - Enhance your resilience by building a strong support network, developing good relationships with others, engaging in activities that promote a sense of community and belonging and seeking out help when you need it.

4. Character - Increase your resilience by finding meaning and purpose in your life, develop your character by embracing good personal values and adopt a reflective approach to your life. 

5. Contribution - Enhance your resilience by making a positive impact on others and the world around you and contributing to something bigger than just you.

6. Coping - Increase your resilience by developing healthy coping mechanisms to manage stress, anxiety and adversity. 

7. Control - Build your resilience by focusing on what is within your control, maintaining a sense of control over your choices, reactions and decisions and being flexible and adaptive to change and obstacles. 

Do you want to learn more about resilience?

If you want to learn more about resilience you can take one of our online resilience courses.

Resilience for life: how to be more resilient in life & work

Resilience for business owners, directors & managers

In these courses you will gain an insight into resilience, look at your own resilience and identify the areas to improve on, be given a range of resilience tools, tips and strategies to help you to be more resilient and to build your resilience over time and create a personalised resilience action plan to develop your resilience going forward.

You can take a look at our range of online personal development courses and bundles, including current special offers, at https://onlinecourses.makinithappen.co.uk

Categories: : Online courses, Personal development, Resilience, Soft skills, Stress management