Photo by theverticalstory on Unsplash
For entrepreneurs, a key trait for success is resilience. While that’s always been the case, an ability to weather tough times matters more than ever as the pandemic continues to upend the world.
To boost your resilience, consider these suggestions:
1) Think long-term. As seen from such disrupting events as 9/11, the 2008 mortgage meltdown – and now COVID-19 — a crisis changes the way we live and operate. This disruption, in turn, creates new needs – and new opportunities for innovative people who seek to make things better.
2) Take care of yourself. The basics — eating well, regular exercise, getting enough rest – give you a positive mindset and a fitness level needed to endure a difficult stretch.
3) Surround yourself with resilient people. Through osmosis, you’ll pick up their philosophies and glean tips about dealing with hardships.
4) Be someone’s rock. Providing support for a person who’s struggling improves your own ability to cope. When you help others get stronger, you get stronger too.
5) Believe in something bigger than you. This could be your faith, a social mission, or a desire to leave a legacy for younger family members. Having a larger purpose puts things in perspective and helps you remember what’s most important.
6) Get comfortable with being uncomfortable. Cold calls, public speaking, networking – everybody has a nemesis that puts them outside their comfort zone. Rather than running away from your nemesis, confront it. Embrace it. Through repetition, you become less uncomfortable.
7) Be willing to make mistakes. Chances are most people won’t notice or care. If somebody does criticize the mistake, so what? It isn’t the end of the world. When you adopt this thinking, you develop a thicker skin.
8) Keep going. Daily action augments your ability to ward off negativity and other forces that threaten your progress.
In the words of Martin Luther King, Jr, “If you can’t fly then run, if you can’t run then walk, if you can’t walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward.”
About Lynne Strang
I’m a freelance writer who helps organizations and individuals meet their marketing and communications goals. I am also the author of “Late-Blooming Entrepreneurs: Eight Principles for Starting a Business After Age 40.” To learn more, please visit my website: lynnebeverlystrang.com.
