Resilience is the ability to bounce back from challenges, cope with stress, and adapt to changing situations. As a new employee in personal development, you may face many obstacles and uncertainties that test your resilience. How can you develop this vital skill and thrive in your role? Here are some tips to help you.
One of the first steps to develop resilience is to set realistic and achievable goals for yourself. Goals can help you focus on what matters, motivate you to take action, and measure your progress. However, if your goals are too vague, unrealistic, or overwhelming, they can also cause frustration, anxiety, and self-doubt. Therefore, you should set SMART goals that are specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound. This way, you can break down your goals into manageable steps, celebrate your successes, and learn from your failures.
When you set goals, ask yourself what meaning they hold for you. More often than not, we simply set goals because we feel we have to be productive and we feel it's better to do something than nothing. So we pick up the goals that we view as popular. For example, "I want to journal/start working out/take cold showers" etc. I urge you to ask yourself why you are setting the goal that you are setting. Make it realistic and make it meaningful. The truth of the matter is that the more this goal attempts to meet an existential need you have the more likely you are to adhere to it. And if there is one thing that makes your goal more realistic, it is setting a goal that you can adhere to.
Well, goals are important, hands down. However, if you are a new employee, ask your manager what are the expectations from you or your position as a new employee. This will help you to set your goals efficiently and avoid any pressure of not performing, unrealistic expectations “you’d know it by now”, or extra stress that you can’t keep up. Also, SMART goals, are not always that SMART and realistic. They are pushed on everyone, from left to right. However, there is a need to break it down. Set goals that will be a middle ground between: you ideal outcome and a bare minimum that you can do without breaking a sweat.
Another way to develop resilience is to seek feedback and support from others. Feedback can help you improve your skills, identify your strengths and weaknesses, and recognize your achievements. Support can help you cope with stress, overcome challenges, and access resources. You can seek feedback and support from your manager, colleagues, mentors, coaches, or friends. However, you should also be open to constructive criticism, avoid taking feedback personally, and appreciate the value of different perspectives.
Make sure you identify the right people to give you feedback. Picking someone at random can lead to feedback that can be destructive. When picking the person you will receive feedback from, ask if this person is likely to be honest and compassionate with you. Honest enough to be able to give you criticism and compassionate enough to be able to provide it compassionately. Next, look for what you're doing right. We often focus on the criticism to improve what we can but miss out on the things we may regularly be doing right. You need to know what you're doing right so you can recreate the process.
A third way to develop resilience is to embrace change and uncertainty as opportunities for growth and learning. Change and uncertainty are inevitable in personal development, as you may encounter new situations, expectations, and demands. Instead of resisting or fearing change and uncertainty, you should adopt a positive and flexible mindset that allows you to adapt and improvise. You should also view change and uncertainty as sources of inspiration, creativity, and innovation.
Anxiety is a normal human emotion. Developing healthy habits of responding to it is the key. 1. Breath 2. Accept it and the thoughts you are focused on. Then talk yourself down. 3. Exercise and strengthen your forward focused, 'Magical what if..." imaginative thoughts. 4. Respond to yourself with acceptance and love (not fear). Feelings are powerful and that's okay. Your thoughts, thought patterns and responses to them are powerful. You can powerfully navigate them to keep learning, growing and contributing value at work. #thefourthingsyoucancontrol #mindsetcoaching #healthyhabitsforlife
A fourth way to develop resilience is to practice self-care and mindfulness. Self-care is the act of taking care of your physical, mental, and emotional well-being. Mindfulness is the act of paying attention to the present moment with curiosity and acceptance. Both self-care and mindfulness can help you reduce stress, enhance your mood, boost your energy, and improve your focus. You can practice self-care and mindfulness by doing activities that you enjoy, such as exercising, reading, meditating, or journaling.
Be intentional about how you choose to think about yourself in the context of your job and career. For example, if you struggle to get a process down, release the urge to criticize yourself. Instead, choose to give yourself compassion, and tell yourself that it's normal to take some time to get things down.
When starting in a new role there's a certain pressure to get on top of it as soon as possible. This tends to lead to self-imposed expectations of super human abilities. While everyone wants to make a good first impression, it's not a requirement to burn out in the first six months! Make sure you take breaks and annual leave. Take time to stay hydrated (and go to the bathroom). Breathe between clients/calls/patients - take time to read notes etc. Learn where equipment is stored. Try not to pour a quart into a pint pot! Stop for a drink/rest on the journey home if tired. Practice reflection. Talk it through with someone. Take time to get to know your new colleagues. Laugh - it's not all serious. Be kind to yourself - it's hard starting.
A fifth way to develop resilience is to learn from challenges and failures. Challenges and failures are inevitable in personal development, as you may face difficulties, setbacks, and mistakes. Instead of avoiding or denying challenges and failures, you should accept and analyze them. You should also extract valuable lessons, insights, and feedback from them. By doing so, you can improve your performance, avoid repeating the same errors, and develop new strategies and solutions.
As Alexis Carrel said "Man cannot remake himself without suffering, for he is both the marble and the sculptor". Self-help may be riddled with a vast ensemble of self-development tips and tricks. Some of them may really work for you and others may be bogus but understanding one principle will be very beneficial in the process. Sometimes, it's going to hurt. We try not to add to the pain, we try not to push it away. Instead we sit with the pain of failure and nurture it till it blossoms into the lesson it needed to teach us.
A sixth way to develop resilience is to celebrate your achievements and progress. Achievements and progress are indicators of your resilience, as they show that you have overcome obstacles, met your goals, and improved your skills. By celebrating your achievements and progress, you can reinforce your confidence, motivation, and self-esteem. You can also acknowledge your efforts, appreciate your growth, and reward yourself. You can celebrate your achievements and progress by sharing them with others, giving yourself compliments, or treating yourself to something special.
Here is a short but important thing to remember when you are improving your interpersonal skills. People who have benefitted from you occupying an unhealthy role in your relationships will not be happy about you moving towards a healthier role and that's okay. Not everyone has to like it and those that care will be there for the new dynamic of the relationship that will follow your change.