(Václav Havel, first President of the Czech Republic).

Last Friday I stood on the Charles Bridge in Prague listening to my new Czech friend, Lida, describing the funeral of Václav Havel with a mixture of enthusiasm and sorrow. She explained how the Czech people, transformed into sudden mourners by the death of their beloved father figure, had packed the famous bridge during the funeral cortege. Václav Havel was a true inspiration to his country. And while not all political figures could always agree with him, it seems that he commanded much respect, and his passing was a great blow to the country. But I could tell from Lida's words that she felt personally affected by his loss. And I sensed that her inability to convey to me the whole range of emotions that swept through the country at his death was in no way due to her almost-perfect English, but instead lay in the difficulty in expressing the essence of a man whose unfailing efforts changed the face of a country forever.

And so it seemed somewhat ironic that I found myself on the Charles Bridge precisely because I had just finished delivering a keynote speech at a HR conference, outlining the business case for Resilience in organisations. The audience had been fully in agreement about the need for Resilience, but clearly they needed to look no further than their former President in order to see vivid examples of Resilience in action.

Life was hard for the dissident Václav. His plays were banned; he was constantly under scrutiny, and he endured several spells in prison for his beliefs. But he never gave up, never lost hope, and continued to demonstrate Resilience, alongside other dissidents. "We simply went ahead and did certain things that we felt we ought to do, and that seemed to us decent to do, nothing more nor less."

It must have been this philosophy that led the man who had never been interested in politics to become the first President of Czechoslovakia, following the fall of Communism. Often the object of controversy and criticism, Havel nevertheless remained true to his principles and continued to fight for the causes he believed in.

How much could we all achieve in our personal and professional lives if we followed his example and made sure that our lives and our work had meaning for us? And above all if we remain true to the principle of Resilience and continue to use hope judiciously in order to focus our efforts on the things dear to our heart, even when there is chaos in the world around us. There is certainly a lesson to be learnt from Havel's famous quote. Maybe it's just that Resilience comes at a price. But one that is well worth paying.

In memory of Václav Havel, (1936-2011)

Researching a fire in the family home in the 1930s, I discovered newspaper articles praising my grandmother for her actions during that potentially fatal event. They described her as a “heroine”, because she acted decisively to rescue her young family from a burning house. She carried out her heroic rescue by battling her way up to the second floor bedroom, seizing her young children, and throwing them one by one out of the window! (Just for the record, she had already thought to call out to neighbours and have them place a large basket underneath the window). Although one child suffered some burns and another fell out of the basket and had slight concussion, the end result was that they were all saved.  Interviewed by newspaper journalists, my grandmother modestly stated that she had chosen this risky course of action because she remembered that the previous week a family had lost their lives when they were unable to escape from the upstairs rooms of a similar neighbourhood house.

And that for me sums up the key concepts of Resilience – the ability to act decisively under pressure, learn from past mistakes, and prioritise what’s really important to you.

My grandmother was widowed in her 40s and brought up nine children alone, never complaining about her sort but always keeping a bright smile on her face. The ability to maintain a positive mindset in times of challenge is a key feature of Resilience. And that is why the training branch of Beaumont is called Resilience Matters – because it really does!

My grandmother passed away many years ago, but I will always be grateful for the short time she was in my life, and for the joy she brought into every birthday she celebrated with us. So if you liked this story, tell me who or what you are grateful for ....... because being grateful for what we have in life is one of the first steps in growing Resilience.

It's often the everyday little events that make us stop and think. Today I took my daughter to the local train station and ended up witnessing a bizarre little comedy. A man arrived with a bike and got on a carriage further down the train. The guard rushed up with a frustrated look on his face, and initiated an agitated conversation with the cyclist.

Perhaps bikes were not allowed on this train? Within minutes the guard had lost his temper and was threatening to call the police. Meanwhile, the man was adamant that he had the right to put his bike on the train. One after another a further three rail employees arrived, all trying to convince the man to remove the offending cycle.

It was the train driver who eventually managed the feat. Presumably by calmly stating that as he was the driver, and bikes were not allowed, the train was clearly going nowhere and it was up to the man to choose whether or not to remain on a stationary train. As the driver ambled off with a wry but relaxed smile upon his face, the stressed out cyclist resigned himself to waiting for the next bike-friendly departure.

So what's behind all this? Just that everybody is behaving perfectly reasonably in their own opinon. But the frustrated attitudes of some of the rail employees certainly weren't helping to achieve the desired result, namely the train leaving on time with all of its passengers correctly boarded.

People with a high level of resilience remain calm, flexible and adaptable, even under pressure. Perhaps the train driver knew a thing or two about resilience. It's rarely worth letting the frustrations, aggravations and annoyances of daily life get the better out of you, but many of us frequently fall into that trap and then go home feeling stressed and angry.

Resilience Tip # 1: Stress comes at a price. When you find yourself getting frustrated or stressed, try to focus on what you can realistically achieve rather than holding out for what you desperately feel justified in wanting.