So, what do you need to endure and thrive in this never-ending assault on your nerves, energy, willpower and time?
The Acumen Fund's John McKinley has an idea for you: resilience.
The title of his article in Harvard Business Review's Blog Network makes it clear what he is proposing: "Want to Change the World? Be Resilient". If you really want to change the world, or discover and live your purpose everyday, then you'll need a lot of stuff. But, the most important "item" among that stuff may be resilience.
What does the kind of resilience it takes to not quit look like? Here are 3 starters offered by McKinley:
- Grit: Short-term focus on tasks at hand, a willingness to slog through broken systems with limited resources, and pragmatic problem-solving skills.
- Courage: Action in the face of fear and embracing the unknown.
- Commitment: Long-term optimism and focus on big-picture goals.
Let's call these 3 characteristics together the Resilience Test.
How would you rate yourself on a scale of 1 to 4 (with 4 being the best, 1 being the worst) on grit, courage and commitment? Be brutally honest. Whole numbers only so either you're on the positive side (3 or 4) or the negative side (1 or 2) of each of these.
How would your spouse, lover, significant other, close relations, kids, and your favorite Aunt and Uncle rate you on these? Ask them and ask them to be brutally honest. How about your co-workers, colleagues, boss, and clients rate you on these? Ask them and ask them to be brutally honest.
The only bonus points allowed are for courage. If you really go out ask for brutal feedback from the most important people in your life, and you give those people the real permission and safety to give you that feedback, then you get a bonus point for courage.
There is good news. Whether you score all 4s, barely manage 1s or somewhere in between, you can become more resilient. McKinley points out that resilience can be trained and developed.
If you looking for ideas on how to start, then I suggest you read the full article.
Be well,
Sterling Lynk