There are lots of keys to success in life and business. Most of them involve character traits such as perseverance, having a positive attitude, going the extra mile. Lots of great books have been written about the keys to success. In fact we publish several of them. At the end of this blog I’ll provide links to just a few. In the wake of last year’s presidential election I’m struck by a particular trait that I think warrants shining a spot light on, even if it’s just for the few moments it takes to read this post. It’s called RESILIENCE.
Webster’s dictionary defines resilience in a couple ways. The one that applies here is the second definition: an ability to recover from or adjust easily to misfortune or change. If you’ve been alive for say more than 20 minutes you know that stuff happens. We face disappointment, unexpected loss, setbacks. We get derailed. Sometimes it’s just circumstance.
Several weeks ago a hurricane blew through our area here in Central Florida. Fortunately it wasn’t as intense a storm or as direct a hit as forecasted. But it was enough to take down a huge oak tree in my yard. It was just an unfortunate circumstance.
Sometimes things happen that are caused by other people. We get stabbed in the back, betrayed. Someone we trust lets us down. It stinks. And sometimes we get in our own way. You fail to make your mortgage payment and incur extra interest expense; well, you can blame “the man” all you want, but at the end of the day you were the one who didn’t mail your payment in on time.
Whether self-inflicted, avoidable or luck of the draw, things happen to all of us that knock us off our game. I think about that as I watch tearful progressives lament the fact that Donald Trump is our new president. Some cheer. Others go looking for a democratic shoulder to cry on. So where is the resilient spirit, the ability, like Rocky Balboa taking the blows and getting back up?
We need that. In business you need to be resilient. Campaigns flop. Key customers bail. Regulations change. We may allow ourselves a few moments to feel sorry for ourselves, but the ones who thrive in life are the ones who choose to bounce back, to get up off the matt, who determine to let their refining moments become their defining moments.
So cultivate a resilient mindset. Be the person who sees the glass-half-full, who sees every calamity as an opportunity for growth, every set-back as an opportunity to get better. Be resilient! Your business needs you to be resilient. Your family needs you to be resilient. To be the best version of you possible, work on becoming more resilient. Maybe you were a champ at dodgeball as a kid. But life is going to throw more things at you than you can possibly escape. You’re gonna take some hits. When you do, be resilient! Not just for you. People are watching.
Here are some great reads that deal with developing the character qualities of success. Enjoy.
Think Like A Pro, Act Like A Pro
12 Gifts You Can’t Afford to Lose
