When I came across the phrase “resilient entrepreneur”, it resonated deeply. Resilience is about flexibility. It’s about being strong, supple, hard working, tough. I wondered just how flexible I was.
How flexible are you?
Being flexible is probably the most valuable quality you can develop in both your life and your work. Life is made up of one cycle after another and that means we must adapt to continuous change. Unexpected change.
It often means finding yourself unprepared for change. You must learn to be flexible in order to grab the new opportunity and be self-aware enough to know if you want to take it. Flexibility is about making decisions on the move, being willing to try out something new.
Flexibility is full of adventure.
Not everyone likes to do that. Or can do that. Some people prefer to stay in the comfort zone of the familiar.
How supple are you?
Supple means to be agile. That’s akin to being flexible but its focus is on being nimble, limber and being able to change course quickly. Supple means you can easily evaluate an idea and make aligned decisions.
Your agility, your resilience, depends on how well you know yourself
Do you take time to reflect? Do you thoughtfully sort out your ideas and meditate on the various possibilities? What are your values? How do you prioritize them and which of them guide your decisions? You need to know so you can make rapid decisions that stay aligned with your overall purpose.
That takes some inner reflection.
Take a close look at how you operate
I kept putting off the completion of projects. I had a ton of mostly finished books. I spent many hours trying to figure out why I kept putting off this last step. Eventually I found out what beliefs were in the way, what habits were stopping me, and what I could do to make myself more productive around the areas of completion.
I experimented. I adjusted. I figured out the unfounded fear that slowed me down and made small steady changes that helped me move forward. But it took a lot of introspective work – and a willingness to change.
Do you take time for that kind of inner exploration?
Are you adjusting with the times?
Technology is moving rapidly. And, like it or not, we have to keep up. If we work with our minds, we have to keep up or become outmoded. If we work with our bodies, we may have to be willing be retrained, as technology replaces some of our work opportunities. We cannot hang on to the past, the familiar.
We also have to resist being caught up in social media and make the choice to purposefully and consciously arrange time for the introspective work that makes us resilient and open to change.
Develop your personalized introspective method
It makes no difference what form you use to truly know yourself, it only matters that you find a way to know your desires, your gifts, your values, and your passion. Then consistently use that awareness to make choices that are aligned with who you are.
You may explore your inner world through visioning or journaling or meditation. Mind-mapping (with a pencil and paper) will help you figure out the overall connections. Let your feelings guide you. How would that feel? What could it look like? Would you like that?
Find your stumbling blocks and figure out creative ways around them. It helped my productivity when I began to work in batches – edit a group of posts at one time over the course of a few days. Record a few vLogs in a week.
Examine your working style and adjust it to become more productive. Change your approach.
I’m a natural organizer and a master list maker. Until I chose to embrace the concept of “unfolding” in my life. Now I approach each day as an adventure and am prepared to explore whatever path calls to me. My life experience is now quite serene.
I found theme days helpful – write, video, books, outreach, etc. Each day a different focus. That helps avoid overwhelm.
Explore your opportunities through meditation. Take an idea or opportunity and move into meditation with it. Explore whatever shows up. How does it feel? Inwardly explore several scenarios of what it might end up looking like.
See how flexible and adaptable you can become as you move forward.
To Sing a Deeper Song Consider:
What Life Decisions Changed Your Direction?
Find and Use Your Power Within
How to Pull Forth Your Strength From Within
How to Nourish Your Inner Fire
Vlog: Your Body Suit and Your Invisible Self
Podcast: 32 – How to See Your Work As Art
