Back in May one of the worst earthquakes in decades struck central China, with 9,000 people killed in collapsed schools, nearly 2,000 children orphaned by the tremor, and a deadly toxic chemical leak. Today another strong aftershock rocked China. Social media has been crowdsourcing and reporting news by the minute.

A recent poll of 4,300 Chinese Quake survivors conducted by newspaper China Youth Daily and news portal Sohu.com, showed that 88 percent thought that the recent China earthquake had “changed” their lives. 82 percent of those polled report that they plan to “cherish life more and create more value for society” as a result of the quake. Over 70 percent plan to do more to help the needy. A recap of results:

Over at Schreiner’s Media Landscape, they suggest that China’s earthquake is karmic - and wonder if the quake can improve their country’s attitude. Seems so, Schreiner.

After natural disasters, attitude, culture, and fatalistic beliefs can affect how survivors perceive risk and recover. Devastation can leave people with strong emotions and a sense of uncertainty. On a more micro level, uncertain times, personal trauma, and crises can shake your attitude.

Cultivating an attitude of resilience can help us cope. Resilience is ordinary, not extraordinary. It starts with having caring and supportive relationships with family members, friends, and other connections. Encouragement and reassurance bolster a person’s resilience. But resilience is a trait that can be learned.

Some of the ways you can build your resilience?

• Try to see beyond today - and focus on future circumstances.
• Accept circumstances that cannot be changed.
• Develop realistic, measurable, bite-size even babystep goals.
• Take decisive actions, rather than detach yourself.
• Surround yourself with encouragers - life is impossible if you journey through it alone.
• Be an encourager - if you feel you don’t have anyone in your life, then go out and be a support to someone. It will return to you in ways you can’t possibly imagine.
• Acknowledge your own strength and resourcefulness.
• Maintain an optimistic outlook by visualizing a better future.
• Meditate or write - to better understand and accept your feelings.
• Stay flexible - and realize that resolution or outcomes may not be as you hope or plan.
• Look to self help groups, online resources, and books for additional strength.

99.9% of all challenges come without warning. In 1990, my family’s town (Plainfield, Illinois) was wiped off the map by a microburst — a huge storm wherein the sky opens up and air is pushed down. When it hits the ground it spreads like a tornado and destroys. Our town was declared a federal disaster - 28 people lost their lives, thousands were injured, and many lost their homes. The storm came without warning - no siren, no breaking news. And that’s the way many challenges come. They don’t set up appointments. They just come, leaving us feeling hopeless and helpless. We want to give up.

Here is the secret - you can make it. Don’t give up or lose hope. It’s okay to feel the pain and look for the meaning in the experience, but don’t stop living. This is your opportunity to have your life deepened in ways you may not yet be able to imagine. Whatever you are going through or have gone through - you can make it.

I’m always on the lookout for stories of real people who realized tat they could change their life through attitude. These stories are constant reminders that what I strive to communicate truly is powerful.

This week, I came across this great post on a blog titled “ Antique Mommy .” This post titled “ A Decision ,” spoke of a time when this particular blogger was feeling down and out. As she put – she was drowning in her sorrow and didn’t feel like life would ever be good again. It wasn’t until she heard a story from her father that she made the conscious decision to turn her life around.

It’s true –life can be pretty bleak if you only focus on the bad and you let a negative perspective take over. But what’s amazing about being human is that you can choose at any moment how you will perceive things. It doesn’t mean that bad things still won’t happen, but you can certainly choose how you react to them.

My decision came when I was feeling down on my luck and a friend told me that “luck” had nothing to do with it. He told me that it was me. Not the easiest thing to hear – in fact it irked me a little. However, once I chose to listen to my friend, I realized that he was right. The power to change my life was in my hands – and changing began with attitude.

I’d like to hear your stories, everyone. When did you make your decision?