I genuinely never knew that I could be so resilient, the human body never ceases to amaze me. Here’s a brief summary of my year so far – make a bold decision to do housing renovations whilst heavily pregnant, queue the entry of a cowboy builder into our lives, set up a brand new business venture, newborn baby arrives, relocation of the Bennett-Nashs’ to a friends house with newborn (yes they really are that amazing!) near marriage breakdown, financial meltdown, start a new business venture, become a published blogger.
The Oxford English Dictionary states resilience as “The capacity to recover quickly from difficulties; toughness.” Resilience is an incredible powerful quality and it will pay you back dividends to focus on honing your skills in this area. As an entrepreneur there will inevitably be times when you’re knocked down by life but if you can come back stronger, bolder and wiser it is incredibly empowering. Failure wasn’t an option, I wasn’t going to become a victim of life’s circumstances!
Just because grown in my resilience does not mean that I haven’t experienced difficulty or stress. It’s been an emotional rollercoaster but I’ve honestly learnt so much; it has been a real journey of self discovery! Here are my top tips to helping you along during your turbulent times.
1. Take action
- There are days when the last thing you want to do is drag yourself out of bed and start hustling! So, if you’re having a difficult day, week, month, be kind to yourself and celebrate your successes so far, no matter how small you may think they are.
- Make your bed every single day. This may seem like a small thing to do, but it sets the tone for the day, your first task achieved! It will also give you a sense of pride to have a tidy bed.
- Don’t bury your head in the sand. Believe me, the problem won’t go away, but by making the list and tackling each issue you will feel a million times better about things.
2. Build a strong network
- Building good relationships with like-minded people is fundamental to your success as an entrepreneur.
- Finding your tribe who share your undying, relentless passion for what you do is key to your ongoing success and will undoubtably pull you through those days when you feel like quitting.
- Make real connections – sharing your goals with your business besties massively helps with building a sense of accountability.
- Sharing your successes and your struggles builds the sense of trust and mutual respect, and this is gold dust. Let’s face it we all need a kind and caring ear to listen to us every now and again.
3. Revisit your vision board
- If you haven’t got a vision board, what are you waiting for! Regularly revisit the big picture; it’s your big dream that will drive you through the tough times and stop you from focusing on the minor bumps in the road.
- Put your vision board front and centre where you will see it every single day. It will guide your subconscious mind to continue seeking opportunities that you may very well resist if you are caught in the moment, and a cycle of negativity.
4. Flip the switch on that negative mind chatter
- You can massively reduce the amount of stress that you feeling mounting from every day issues if you turn your problem(s) on it’s head. Rather than thinking “why me”, learn from the experience and take a mental note of what you have learnt as a result of the issue. Consider each complication, or failure as an opportunity to learn something new. Et voila! its no longer a failure it is wisdom in the making.
- Look to the future and focus on the outcome that you want from a particular circumstance. Remember to listen to the logical side of your brain that tells you, you cannot change the past, but you can shape the future. You absolutely be in charge with how you respond to a situation and drive the results to the outcome you want.
5. Be kind to yourself
- Why do we always leave ourselves last? There is a very good reason why the cabin crew tell you to put on your oxygen mask first; you are no good to anyone if you don’t take care of yourself!
- Taking care of yourself means eating well and exercising. I know, I know, you might HATE exercise but a walk a day keeps the doctor away! And take care of your appearance, putting on an outfit you love or adding a splash of your favourite lippy, gives you an instant lift.
- Carve out some time for yourself.
- Quit the comparison game (for some reason this runs rampant amongst women). Most of us have big misconceptions about what other people are doing. We think they are getting more clients, making more money, marketing themselves better…blar, blar, blar! In reality, you have no idea wether or not these things are happening. Comparing yourself to other people does not serve you – fact!
You’re in charge of the outcome; you’ve the choice to see the challenges as opportunities and grow from the difficult situations you experience. Believe in yourself; you are strong enough to bounce back from adversity and you can reshape the outcome of any given situation.