How to be Resilient

Being resilient in the face of challenges requires an incredible amount of energy. Entrepreneurs have to dedicate day and night to solving the challenges of the day. That energy and the time of the entrepreneur is scarce. In order to be resilient, and take on the task at hand, an entrepreneur needs every ounce of energy dedicated to what he or she can control. You must resist the temptation to expend energy on things that don’t make a difference.

There is no question that resilience can be taught. Especially for entrepreneurs, who face challenges every day. In fact, for many entrepreneurs, their first customer may be years away from their initial vision. And if they are pursuing something new and different (which most entrepreneurs believe they are), there will be challenges left and right. For entrepreneurs, it is not only essential to develop resilience as a leader, but also to demonstrate to your team how to be resilient in the face of great challenges.

“We WILL get through this together.” 

Your Change in Perspective

Focus on the activity — not the emotion. Throughout an entrepreneurial venture, there will be highs and lows. First and foremost, an entrepreneur must learn not to react to the ups and downs of the day. This is easier said than done when you are talking about something that is your passion. Nonetheless, it is a must. When we are emotional, we can’t put in place the actions and activities that move you forward.The focus must be on the activities that make a difference. Once you have decided on your tasks that moves the needle, stop worrying about other tasks and finish the ones in front of you. In the movie “Apollo 13,” the spacecraft suffers damage and the astronauts move through a series of procedures to prepare the spacecraft for reentry into the Earth’s atmosphere. Given the damage, success is hardly assured. While they are working, Bill Paxton (who plays astronaut Fred Haise Sr.) questions whether Mission Control in Houston is giving the astronauts accurate information. Tom Hanks (who plays captain Jim Lovell) says:

“All right, there’s a 1,000 things that have to happen in order. We are on No. 8. You’re talking about No. 692… We’re not going to go bouncing off the walls for 10 minutes, because we’re just going to end up back here with the same problems!”

Work the problem. Focus on the items you determine require your attention that day. The entrepreneur’s path to success is rarely built with “giant leaps for mankind” but steadily-won, determined, daily progress. When we chip away at today’s to-do list, we build powerful momentum for our business.

Follow Us on Social Media

Where do you go for answers?

Our Learning Community is the one stop shop for the intelligence you need. Instead of countless hours searching for answers, we’ve organized what you need to know across all of the business and personal issues you face. You’ll get answers from 100s of learning modules, tools and templates, vendor reviews and a vibrant community of your fellow entrepreneurs. Try it for free!

Share The Lonely Entrepreneur