The Fuel of Resilience

How does one keep going in the midst of seemingly constant or significant setbacks?

We will all struggle, get knocked down, and experience something traumatic at some point in our lives, whether it be a health issue, the loss of a loved one, or a goal that seems out of reach. This happens to all of us.

• every
• single
• one
• of
• us

Yes, even YOU, the reader of this post.

Some may get back up and keep going, while others may feel that it’s too much and the battle is no longer worth fighting. So, what differentiates those who stay down and those who can’t be taken out of the game?

What fuels resilience?

It seems that those who keep getting back up have one common trait: they have identified something worth persevering for, something significantly more important to them than any discomfort or pain they may experience. When we set a goal that is larger than ourselves, the option to quit may no longer seem valid.

This model can be applied to individuals, teams, companies, or even countries. However, it’s important to note that this post is not about the “hustle and grind” culture, nor is it suggesting that all barriers and traumas are distributed equally across groups. The degree of difficulty in pushing forward is significantly higher for those with less privilege, less power, and greater oppression, discrimination, and exploitation. Additionally, quitting can sometimes be the smartest thing to do and a change of tactic may be all that is needed.

Getting back up

I wanted to write about resilience a little bit today because, frankly, I’m struggling a bit to get back up with regard to a few things.

• I didn’t write a single post on Becoming Superhuman in January.
• I’m way behind on getting new episodes of Shareable published.
• I haven’t done enough to promote The SUPER Market and the various templates, resources and courses I have on there.
• I am behind on getting Shareable.fm finished and ready to start taking on new shows.
• I am behind in finishing the website for Super Automated, a new business I’m launching to help businesses leverage automation to save time and money.
• …and so on.

Despite having 3 different lines of business humming along, I’m struggling to keep up with some of my other projects the way I have in the past. Part of the problem is that I take on too much, and another part is that I have WAY more going on now than I did when I initially conceived many of these ideas. No significant setback stands in my way at the moment, there are no recent tragedies or traumas but, nonetheless, it has been difficult for me to keep up lately.

Base Hits vs Homeruns

So, after a little too long off of writing, I’m publishing today. Because even though I’m out of practice and my brain is a little scrambled, I had to get back up.

So, after a little too long off from publishing episodes of Shareable, I released two episodes on Tuesday (217 | 218). Because even though I don’t have everything figured out, I had to get back out there.

A lot of times, I find myself stuck in analysis paralysis, trying to figure out how to strategize my way out with a perfect plan. I yearn for big, bold, ambitious plans. I want to hit a home run.

But sometimes, as I tell my clients, you just have to get back out there and hit the publish button. Sometimes all you need is a base hit.

There is a delicate balance between strategy and execution and you will need both. The key is to know when you need to flip back to the other side. Sometimes you’ll need to stop moving forward so you can make a better plan. Sometimes, you need to accept the plan as good enough and start moving forward.

In either case, there’s a point between the switch where you stop. This is where resilience can come into play.

I’m committed to creating a world with more superheroes in it and using my contributions toward making a world that’s kinder, safer, and more equitable. Even though I’ve been struggling to manage my time, with everything going on, that mission is more important to me than always getting it perfect..and it’s more than enough for me to get back up.

When I get stopped, and I struggle to get started again, I remember the contributions I’m trying to make, and lean on that to get me moving again. So, today’s question for you is, what is important enough to you, that it helps you get back up when you’re stopped or knocked down?