When people are hit with an extreme, life-disrupting loss they will never be the same again. They will feel either wounded and bitter, or strengthened and better. Larry Newman's way of appreciating the benefits he gained from losing everything he owned in a fire shows how a resilient person can convert misfortune into good fortune. Here is how Larry describes a good/bad event in his life.

In 1970, Gert Boyle, the president of world famous Columbia Sportswear, was literally thrown into her role running the company her parents and husband had created. She had little knowledge of business, enlisted her son Tim, and today, together, have created one of the largest sportswear companies in the world.

Cynthia Dailey-Hewkin's story validates what can happen when a person does not react like a victim during a major corporate layoff and chooses, instead, to find ways to be helpful to others. She shares practical advice for anyone facing a layoff.

Controversial figure Lance Armstrong is a cancer survivor and the (disqualified, yet) unprecedented winner of seven consecutive Tour de France bicycle races. Looking beyond the doping episode, Lance's recovery story is a remarkable one showing courage, determination, and resiliency.

Marshall L. Lightner writes: "Each of us has a story where resilience plays an important role. Some people have life experiences that require more resilience than others. My life, like most others, has required the development of some resilience. I will give you the essential details."

Al met Jesse Reeder at a writer's conference in the mid 90s. She told him she was beginning to write a self-help book based on what she had learned from some powerfully transforming life experiences. She had been the CEO of a mid-sized utility company and abruptly fired. Read how she handled this upheaval.

August, 1975, will always be a month that Suzy Kellett remembers in vivid detail. It was the month she gave birth to quadruplets and her husband walked out. He left her in their Idaho home to cope with four infants by herself with no help and no income to pay the rent and other bills. Find out how Suzy used her resilient nature to survive these circumstances.

Paul Wieand is a man who truly "reinvented" himself. After losing his job as a bank president, Paul had an identity crisis that threw him into a deep depression. His transformative journey included going to graduate school in psychology and discovering the power of authenticity while conducting group therapy with high-IQ people diagnosed as schizophrenic. Paul founded the Center for Advanced Emotional Intelligence in 1995 and is highly effective at showing executives how to break out of their isolating roles.

Marcia Keith is a college administrator and president of her professional association. She writes this autobiographical account of what she found good in something often perceived as bad.

When it comes to the effects of downsizing, resiliency takes different forms. It may be to adapt quickly and find a new career direction or it may be to bounce back in a way that leads to a surprising outcome.