Five ways to develop your mental resilience

All soloists juggle multiple responsibilities and so must be resilient. It’s not just about your physical wellbeing: a resilient mindset is key. Here are my top five tips to hone a 'hard-like-rock-and-flexible-like-palm-tree' mindset.

Tip 1. Understand the ways your business success is not about you …

It is about the results you get for your clients. You don't need to be the fastest/happiest/most eloquent/smartest in your field; you only need to deliver results that make a difference to your clients. When you focus on delivering results, the pressure to 'perform' and measure up drops away. Drop the self-confidence crisis and put the focus back where it belongs – on your clients. Find ways of delivering better service, improving outputs, over-delivering and under-promising and honouring your clients' objectives.

Tip 2. Understand your business success IS about you.

If you are not happy and fulfilled, your clients will smell your desperation down the street. Your primary objective in self-management is to maintain a strong sense of inner well-being and harmony. Fulfilment outside of business goals is critical so ensure you nurture a range of interests, not just business ones.

Tip 3. Use appreciation, not just optimism.

When times get tough it's easy to fall in to the 'woe is me' downward spiral. Pessimism and angst abounds; results deflate. To counter this insidious trap, develop your 'appreciation muscle'. Learn to appreciate your surroundings, whatever they may be. In this way you avoid bemoaning circumstances and focus on what is good about the situation and what you can learn from it. This is different to optimism which tends to ignore circumstances and instead hope for the best. Appreciation is far more constructive and proactive; it builds a sense of momentum that leads you towards discovering new possibilities.

Tip 4. Watch your language.

How you talk to yourself and others plays a critical role in determining results and circumstances. Be very deliberate in how you tell stories about your work and life. Notice if you embellish things to make them sound more interesting. For example, was your day 'horrendous' or was it 'challenging' ? Were the quarter's results 'depressing' or were they 'cause for review'? This is not about substituting euphemisms, but about managing your emotional state so that it stays in positive vibration, and away from crisis and chaos. Also, replace 'hope' with 'expect', 'want' with 'choose', and 'I might' with 'I am.'

Tip 5. Goof off.

Yup, this is probably the most important aspect of developing inner resilience. When you give yourself permission to play and have fun, you release all sorts of fantastic vibes to the universe. It is the best and easiest way to enter the mysterious state of 'allowing' – which in turn invites success. Show yourself you DO deserve good stuff by enjoying good stuff now. After all, life is more than merely spreadsheets, numbers and landing a new deal.

Use these strategies to develop inner resilience that allows you to weather storms; this is much like a palm tree bends backwards in a typhoon only to bounce upright and produce yet more coconuts.

May you have many coconut days!

• 16 Nov 09
• 
• Print this item

Work life balance (16) | Health & wellbeing (23) | Stress management (13) | Work and family (15)

Have you grabbed your four free bonuses from us yet? They're way too good to miss. Details here.

3 comments | Add your own 

• Fantastic post - I agree with all of it. Often it is the little things that make such a big difference to yourself and your clients.
  A simple tip: smile before picking up the phone and people will know you are smiling from the other end of the line. Amanda Griscti - my business help from Sydney

• Amanda! I agree - the smiling thing makes a big difference!
  Heres another bonus tip I picked up today: when paying bills, bless them and expect three times the amount coming back to you.
  Fun one!
  Zoe Zoe Routh from Canberra ACT | Read my articles

• Great post that really hammers homesome important points that we sometimes forget when we get so into our work.
  It's not just about you, it is about customers as they are the focus of your success. Communication is key to making customers feel valued and that's essential for ongoing business.
  You make some really great points that apply to every one! Thanks! Jenny Pilley from Leicestershire/UK

3 comments | Add your own 

Add Your comments

  Preview comment
 

Name Website * Town / city and country Email (never sold, displayed or given away) * This will link your name to your site. So please avoid self promotion elsewhere! We delete spam, disrespectful or off-topic comments.

Notify me of follow up comments via email Subscribe me to Soapbox, Flying Solo's weekly newsletter Enter security code, without spaces, below: