After several weeks of ?stay at home? orders and now that some of the states are starting to open up, the focus we are seeing from business owners has adjusted from ?how do I survive?? to ?how do I get ready to open??
The key is resilience. Webster defines resilience as ?the capacity to recover quickly from difficulties; toughness.? It is also defined as a way to ?spring back into shape.?
I like to look at resilience as the strength to break through the challenges that are placed in front of us. The idea that we are unbreakable and no matter what challenge or obstacle that is placed in front of us we will overcome.
What a great mindset for leaders.
As I work with those business leaders, I love watching this happen in real-time. The transformation of creating a stronger more resilient mindset that no matter what I will overcome, I will continue to follow my dream until I am able to accomplish what I have I have been striving so hard to do. While they don?t realize what has happened when they look back on the coaching time they can see with a new perspective, they have become more resilient.
Here is how to work on your resilience:
Focus on internal resilience.
There are many ways to define and explain how to build strength but for this purpose, we are only focusing on your routines and habits. When COVID-19 first started, we really didn?t know what to expect. Information was all over the place and we are still getting new studies about the impact that this will have. The one impact that I have seen is the interruption of our normal routines and habits. Exercise was once a routine of going to work out at a gym, well that isn?t possible anymore. Childcare was once a routine of prepping our children for school and getting them on the bus or dropping off, now they are homeschooled with video conferencing. Daily commuting allowed us time to decompress and have time to reflect on our day or listen to something inspirational, now we roll out of bed to work from home, or in many cases we don?t have work at all.
Routines and habits that are followed with discipline will give us the resilience to bounce back much quicker than allowing our minds and bodies to get lazy.
Work hard to establish new routines. Focus on making habits to build your internal resilience.
Focus on external resilience.
This has been the greatest challenge for us to work on at this time since external resilience is done through group settings. Creating a community of friends or like-minded owners that can support and encourage through some of the tough challenges. We had weekly meetings, happy hour, and water cooler talks to share our lives together. Now we stay inside and struggle to find other humans to connect to.
You must be purposeful in reaching out. Technology has allowed us the opportunity to set up conference calls, video calls, video group calls, and so many more opportunities. But if you are not taking advantage of the tools available you will continue to wear down your ability to break through your challenge.
Find ways to connect with others. Virtually if need be, but don?t underestimate the power of connecting with others.