Navigating the ups and downs of life isn’t easy. The journey is often fraught with challenges that can leave us feeling overwhelmed and disheartened. Whether it’s facing significant financial loss that shakes our sense of security, enduring the emotional turmoil of a divorce that alters our personal landscape, experiencing job loss which can impact our identity and self-worth, or dealing with other unfortunate dramas that life throws our way, the ability to cope effectively is vital. In these turbulent times, there is one key skill that consistently helps us to rise above adversity and keep moving forward: resilience.
Resilience is not just a passive reaction to stress; it is an active process of adapting well in the face of adversity, trauma, tragedy, threats, or significant sources of stress. In our professional lives, resilience plays an equally critical role. It is what empowers us to stand tall after experiencing a setback, to regroup and find new strategies to overcome obstacles, and to maintain our motivation and drive in environments where change is not only common but expected. Resilience allows us to embrace challenges as opportunities for growth, enabling us to bounce back stronger and more equipped to handle future difficulties. Resilience is crucial in achieving success. Studies show resilient individuals are 50 percent more likely to achieve their career goals than their less resilient peers.
What exactly is resilience?
It can be defined as the capacity to recover quickly from difficulties; it is a form of mental toughness that allows individuals to maintain their focus and determination despite facing hardships. Resilience involves a combination of emotional strength, mental agility, and a positive outlook that helps us navigate through life’s storms. The good news is that resilience is not a fixed trait; it is a skill that can be cultivated and improved over time. Just like physical fitness, developing resilience requires intentional practice and a commitment to personal growth. Ultimately, resilience is about recognizing that while we cannot control every aspect of our lives, we can control how we respond to the challenges that arise. By embracing resilience, we empower ourselves to not only survive difficult situations but to thrive in spite of them, transforming adversity into a catalyst for personal and professional development.
There are three main pillars that support resilience:
Adaptability: or individual’s resources for coping with changes in tasks, with career transitions, and work trauma, etc. For adult workers, current sources of work stress include
Increased workloads, uneven work-life balance, personal issues, communication issues with peers/leaders, and being fired, restructured or forced to quit are just a few sources of work stress. How flexible are you in such situations? How fast can you adapt? Where do you decide to focus your energy on?
Perseverance: the ability to keep your eyes on the goal even when or especially when faced with obstacles. Perseverance is sticking with things, finishing what you started, despite obstacles and barriers. It is hard work but it is crucial for long-term success.
Emotional Intelligence: Involves emotions. Researchers have found that people with higher Emotional Intelligence earn more money and get promoted faster. Why? When you are aware of your own feelings, you can manage them better; This allows you to pay more attention to the other person, become aware of their feelings, and manage these relationships better, in a more “intelligent” way.
A great tool to assess your Emotional Intelligence and better understand how it influences various aspects of your life is the EQi 2.0 tool. In my experience, changing how we operate in our daily lives and relationships takes time and support. The best way to support this ongoing work is through EQ coaching. Whether you aspire to be an exceptional leader, handle adversity, cope with uncertainty or manage complexities, a certified, experienced coach who specializes in emotional intelligence can help.
If you are working now, if you are currently holding a job, and think resilience is not something to worry about, think again! This is the right time to start working on your resilience! Here are a few ideas of what you could do:
1. Put the spotlight on you! Detach your identity from the employer identity. Instead of thinking oh yourself as an UBC professor, a BC Hydro electrician, or an Apple genius, try this:
a. I am an internationally acclaimed professor that is currently teaching communication at UBC
b. I am an experienced, safety driven Powerline technician with over 10 years of experience working for BC Hydro
c. I am a problem solver in anything Mac or Apple technology with fantastic customer service skills proven as an Apple genius for the last 3 years.
This simple tactic will increase your confidence in your skills, regardless of the employer you worked for or currently working for!
2. Start networking for career resilience. Take advantage of all the opportunities to connect with other professionals! Let's be honest! People mostly attend the company events or conferences mostly for the food and drinks, teh good times, or to learn something new. Connecting with other professionals is towards the bottom of the list! While promoting company services or projects, take a few minutes to connect on a personal level with other professionals and build a strong network. During tough times they will help you gain access to new opportunities.
3. Ask for new tasks and new responsibilities! We all have been there: we have learned the job inside out and we are comfortable and a bit bored at work. Instead of trying to look busy, ask for new responsibilities, learn new tasks, or new software. Challenge yourself with small changes in your daily activities to build that confidence that you can handle future bigger changes in your role and potentially further your career! It is tough to accept change when you are comfortable but easier to adapt when you are already out of your comfort zone!
4. Reflect and learn from each experience. By making a habit of reflecting on good and bad experiences, will give you the opportunity to learn from them, and hopefully stop making the same mistakes!
After facing a setback, take the time to analyze what went wrong and what can be improved. Use these insights to adjust your approach and prevent similar issues in the future. Continuous learning and adapting based on your experiences ensure that you're resilient and growing and improving in your career.
Do you have any other tips on how to increase resilience? Leave a comment or message me! Let’s make career resilience a priority while preparing to navigate tough times in life!
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