An entrepreneurial superpower: Eight tips to help develop resilience

Over the years, I have learnt that every individual’s idea of ‘doing whatever it takes’ differs significantly.

For me, it’s as close to the literal meaning as you can get, except, of course, through any unethical or illegal means.

I have witnessed many individuals say they’ll do whatever it takes at the start of a project, and then end up running out of steam when they approach some hurdles or say they simply can’t keep going and quit.

Meanwhile, although it’s tough, I’m left trying to come up with ways to get over the hurdles.

So, I guess at some point in my life, I realised that my resilience can be a superpower.

I knew that although I may not be the most qualified or the smartest, I have a decent shot at success in what I set out to achieve simply because I am willing and able to outwork a lot of people. I believe resilience is a superpower and is a very valuable quality to possess when wanting to execute on a vision and see it through the good, the bad and the ugly.

Some of us are more resilient by nature or due to some life experiences which can test our inner strength. But if desired, resilience can be developed by making some conscious changes to how we behave. This can dramatically impact all aspects of our lives and lead to more successful outcomes.

As Kevin Durant said: “Hard work beats talent, when talent doesn’t work hard.”

So, here are eight tips to help develop and increase resilience.

1. Maintain a generally positive outlook on life

Optimism can be learnt and will be impacted by how you process situations and who you choose to surround yourself with. Although optimism can be learnt, it requires a conscious effort to reassess what may seem like a bad situation and look for any positive outcomes you can take away from it. Doing this as well as surrounding yourself with like-minded people naturally increases your positive outlook on life.

2. Solve problems by taking positive actions

Avoid defaulting to drama, panic or reliving what has happened. Take a deep breath and jump straight into a problem-solving mindset. List some positive steps you can take to solve the problem and then get busy with executing on them. This will always achieve a better outcome, and will save you a lot of time that may have been spent dwelling on the issue

3. Appreciate the daily wins, big or small, and celebrate success

It can be the simplest of things that can be celebrated, like your favourite coffee shop giving you a coffee on the house (yippee, that’s a win in my book). Focus on and appreciate all the opportunities that come your way.

4. Seek the right talent to help you with difficult tasks

Don’t assume you know it all. Seriously, get over yourself. Ask the right people with the right skill set and experience to help you. I don’t consider this a weakness, I actually see it as an advantage to get complex tasks completed fast instead of wasting valuable time agonizing over it, being stubborn and trying to figure everything out yourself.

5. Fight only the big battles

It’s impossible to fight every battle, so only dig your heels in on the ones that count and will contribute to your happiness and success.

6. Rest assured that all discomfort has to end at some point

Tomorrow will be a new day, so focus on getting through the discomfort and getting it done.

Think back to the most recent uncomfortable situation or event that you have experienced. Now ask yourself, did it last forever, and did you waste unnecessary energy and time on how uncomfortable you felt. The answer will most likely be yes. The first step to knowing you have a problem is admitting it.

7. Be willing to make sacrifices without complaining

Like the character Cookie from the show Empire said: “Everybody wants to be Beyoncé but you don’t want to put in the work.”

This is a very common epidemic with the rise of entrepreneurism, as it may look easy from the outside. Many people mainly see the end product to what another has sacrificed and spent a lot of blood, sweat and tears to produce. Just because they have reached success without complaining, does not mean that it was easy. There is no success without putting in the work.

8. Manage your expectations and be realistic

While most successful projects start with a visionary that is clear on what they are trying to achieve, there is no script and things will not always go exactly as planned. That is just not realistic and you will always set yourself up for disappointment. Manage your expectations by knowing what you want as an outcome but be very flexible with the process in how you get there. This is also important with what you are expecting from others.

Or, as Nelson Mandela said: “Do not judge me by my success, judge me by how many times I fell down and got back up again.”

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