5 Tips for Developing Perseverance and Resilience in Life and Work

Have you ever felt you were stuck in a situation you thought you would never be able to get yourself out of, something that you had been fighting to fix, change, improve for a long time, but had not succeeded? How did you make it through? Two qualities that will help you go the distance and keep you moving forward despite what life might throw your way are Perseverance and Resilience.

Over the course of the last 4 years, I got to see first hand how people who refuse to admit defeat and instead push through every obstacle are rewarded for their bravery by learning new skills they can leverage in other areas of their life, finding imaginative ways of tackling the problem, exploring options they didn't previously have access too, achieving something that was once inconceivable to them, and becoming role models for those around them. The outcome of never giving up is one of the most amazing thing you will ever witness.

What are Perseverance and Resilience?

The definition of perseverance according to Merriam-Webster is the continued effort to do or achieve something despite difficulties, failure, or opposition, while Resilience is the ability to recover from or adjust easily to misfortune or change. Think of it this way: Perseverance is like the dung beetle who not only can pull up to 1141 times his own body weight, but does so across any obstacle that comes his way. He just keeps going until he gets to his destination. Resilience is like a rubber band. It stretches and comes back to its original size and does time and time again. The only difference is that in life, the rubber band keeps expanding further and further with every challenge, learning and growing through the process. Putting those two into action is a powerful combination for overcoming life's challenges.

The importance of being persistent in the face of adversity

Did you know what the number ONE thing that people who are at the end of their life regret? Wishing they’d had the courage to live a life true to themselves, not the life others expected of them. But that is not easy, given the pressures society, our family and our own stories put on us. Yet some of the best things in life come from adversity. Look at the butterfly. Before becoming a butterfly, the caterpillar goes into a cocoon and basically dissolves itself into gooey mush before being reborn as a butterfly. If it gave up half-way through, it would just remain as gooey mush. Not very appealing. But it perseveres and comes out of the cocoon as this new magical animal. Going through difficulties is not easy. The process is hard. Growth is hard! But that's the beauty of the process. Going through difficult times lays the ground work for and opens us up to received wonderful things in life. We can’t see it while we’re in it, but have you ever thought “if I hadn’t gone through “that thing”, I would not have been able to handle this”. Do you want a life full of things you almost did, or a life full of the successes you got because you were persistent and resilient through the challenges?

People who persevered to achieve success

We all know them!

• Colonel Sanders’ fried chicken recipe was rejected 1,009 times
• Jim Carrey grew up in a lower-income family, had to drop out of high school at 15 and get a job as a janitor just to help support the family. He was booed off stage in his first standup and failed to land the part for the 80-81 SNL season
• Oprah Winfrey was the daughter of a teenage Mom, was sexually abused at 9 and lost a baby at 14. Early in her career, she was deemed unfit for television. Can you imagine Oprah unfit for TV?!?
• Stephen King’s first novel, Carrie, was rejected 30 times before it was published
• Walt Disney was fired from his job in a Kansas City paper in 1919 because he “lacked imagination and had no good ideas.”

And there are countless other examples. What would have happened if each of these people had decided to quit. We would not have KFC, the comedic world would be missing an iconic actor, millions would continue uninspired, millions more would never know the pleasure of reading one of the most prolific authors of our times and Mickey Mouse would not exit. But because each of them had the courage to follow their dreams and persevere in difficult times, using those times as fuel to propel them to their success, they do!

5 tips for developing perseverance and resilience in your life and work

1. Don’t accept the status quo
   Just because someone tells you things are this way or that, doesn't mean there's not a different answer out there waiting for you. You don’t have to accept what people say as gospel truth! They are telling you what they think based on their lens of the world and your lens is different. Dig deeper and find your own truth and answers. By following your dreams and continuing to push forward, you are not only living your life to the fullest, but you never know who you might inspire in the process. Maybe you want to launch your own business, but feel it is so far out of your comfort zone, you doubt you can make it happen. Carefully consider the options and when you start to feel like it is possible, why not jump in? You’re smart, you’re capable, you’ll figure out what needs to be done along the way!
    
2. Do your research
   You are not the first to go through whatever you are going through. Look into how others have dealt with the same situation and figure out what you can learn from their situation, then apply it to your own. I've struggled with my weight since I was a teenager and have been up and down like a yo-yo (though mostly up), for most of my adult life. When I hit 50, I felt myself slowing down, not only physically, but mentally as well, so I decided it was time to stop messing around. First thing I did was read. I started reading everything I could get my hands on with regards to health. I read about the brain and how much an impact what you eat has on your thoughts and mental flexibility. I learned along the way that Alzheimer is mostly preventable if we eat the right things and exercise, regardless of whether or not we carry the Alzheimer gene (if you'd like a list of the books that have impacted me most, please reach out). So get your learning cap on and get some help with your challenge.
   
   
3. Explore options
   In order to be successful, you must explore as many options as possible. Keep trying to find solutions. Look at what you did and ask yourself if there are any other ways to approach the problem that could potentially be more effective. If your original efforts were unsuccessful, figure out why not - maybe you're missing a step or two? Just be careful not to fall into the trappings of paralysis by analysis.
   
   
4. Tap into your circle of influence
   Get their input. Asking for help is not a sign of weakness. Les Brown said asking for help is what we need to remain strong, not a sign of weakness. Be open to other people's suggestions. Don’t get defensive but listen. Even though people may not have experienced what you are going through, they can provide an different point of view which can open new doors. They can also be a good gut check or a sanity check, so what else can you try? When people can look at a situation from a detached perspective, it can be easier for them to provide alternatives which you may no see because you are caught in the emotions.
   
   
5. Don't give up
   It can be tough, and you never know what to expect. You might cry a few times along the way, but it will all be worth it. There are going to be moments of utter frustration and disappointment; then there is that moment when something clicks in your head, where everything falls into place and you conquer the challenge. You’ll go through every emotion imaginable - from abject sadness at feeling like you’re going backwards with every step you take, to pure joy when you can pump your fist and say “HECK YEAH!” How proud will you be when that happens!?
   

This is the time to be your own hero. You are strong enough and you will make it through whatever challenges you may be in right now and life may throw at you in the future. Even if all seems bleak and hopeless, know that tomorrow will come with its own set of struggles but also with new opportunities for success. When you can look back on our life years from now, you’ll see how much more fulfilling it was because of the challenging moments that made you a stronger person who are able to survive anything thrown their way. Keep going! And remember you are worth whatever is on the other side of challenge.

What are you struggling with right now and what are some ways you can make some headway today?