Hello, and welcome to the Leadership Done Right Podcast, Episode 66: How to be Resilient When the Going Gets Tough!
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Hi friends! To all you that are listening in the United States, I hope you had a great Labor Day Holiday! This week we are going to talk about how to be resilient when the going gets tough. We’ll discuss five points to consider when you are in the middle of challenges and struggling.
Abraham Lincoln’s Resilience
One of my favorite people in history is Abraham Lincoln. He was an American statesman and lawyer who served as the 16th President of the United States from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. Lincoln led the United States through the American Civil War—its bloodiest war and perhaps its greatest moral, constitutional, and political crisis. In doing so, he preserved the Union, abolished slavery, strengthened the federal government, and modernized the economy.
Some might hear that he was the president and think he was lucky, overly smart, or just had it easy. That was NOT the case. He had many failures and setbacks before he became the President of the United States. Here’s just a few:
- Lost job
- Defeated for state legislature
- Failed in business
- Sweetheart died
- Had nervous breakdown
- Defeated for Speaker
- Defeated for nomination for Congress
- Lost renomination to Congress
- Rejected for land officer
- Defeated for U.S. Senate
- Defeated for nomination for Vice President
- Again defeated for U.S. Senate
All that happened in the 25 years before he became the president of the United States. Abraham Lincoln continuously had to be resilient to make it through in the face of all those setbacks.
Were it not for Abraham Lincoln, we would not have the United States that we have today. His leadership shaped the country through the challenges before and during the civil way. I am so grateful that Abraham Lincoln was resilient through all the challenges he faced. He could’ve easily given up or settled for mediocrity in the face of his challenges. Or, he could’ve given less than his best effort because life was hard. Instead, he pushed through and was successful!
How to be Resilient When the Going Gets Tough
You may be thinking, “Well, that was Abraham Lincoln and I am nothing like him. How can I be resilient?” Here’s five tips to help you be more resilient when the going gets tough.
1. Know Your Purpose
Your purpose is the driving force behind what you do. It is often called the why. Some very public people with a strong are Steve Jobs, Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, and Mark Zuckerbrg. Although each of these people are very well known and famous, you don’t have to be well known or famous to have a purpose. Your purpose can simply be to make a positive difference in the lives of those you lead, do a good job each day, or leave a legacy for those that come after you.
2. Be Optimistic
Dr. Jason Selk on the website Mind Body Green said, “Optimism doesn’t just make us feel happier. It also makes us more confident. Optimism helps us believe in ourselves and our ability to bring about a solution.”
3. Develop Your Support Network
Kendra Cherry on the website Very Well Mind said, “It’s important to have people you can confide in. Having to care, supportive people around you act as a protective factor during times of crisis. While simply talking about a situation with a friend or loved one won’t make your troubles go away, it allows you to share your feelings, get support, receive positive feedback, and come up with possible solutions to your problems.”
4. Develop Your Skills
When you fall on tough times, it is such a confidence booster to know that you have developed skills. Also, if you are going through tough times, there is no time like the present to improve and develop your skills. I have found that as I have immersed myself into the effort of developing my skills, it has taken my focus away from the challenges and made life easier.
5. Set Goals and Work to Accomplish Them
With this one you may be thinking, “I am on tough times because I am not achieving my goals!” If you are having a tough time because of your goals, set smaller goals that are very attainable. By completing the little goals, you will get easy wins which will boost your confidence. Then you can tackle slightly bigger goals.
These types of goals should be geared towards incremental improvements. And, you can focus your goals on things outside the norm. Pick up a new hobby, start serving in a non-profit group, or take on a new activity that takes you away from your challenges.
Recap
Challenges and tough times will come to all of us. No one is exempt from them. Everyone from the entry level employee to the president has challenges. What’s important is that we are all working to overcome them. Just the recap, the five tips to be resilient are:
- Know Your Purpose
- Be Optimistic
- Develop Your Support Network
- Develop Your Skills
- Set Goals and Work to Accomplish Them
Wrap-up
Thank you for listening to this episode of the Leadership Done Right podcast. You can check out the show notes at LeadershipDoneRight.com/PodcastEpisode66. I will include notes on the topics discussed and related links.
If you enjoyed this episode, please write a review where you listen to this podcast. Also, please tell your friends about it and share it on social media.
Thanks again for listening! My goal is to help you become a great leader, now go be the best leader you can be!
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