So you’ve decided to play big! Planning for the new and bolting out of the gate at full speed is fun and exciting.
You’ve created momentum. Now you might be wondering how you’re going to sustain it.
Here a three qualities you can cultivate within yourself to play big, rise up to meet challenges, and sustain momentum all year long.
#1 – Be Resilient
Resilient people bounce back more quickly from disappointment and adversity. They spend less time in the lower emotions of regret, shame and disappointment that come with rejection and failure.
When you receive disappointing news, or face rejection, how quickly do you pick yourself back up?
You are a social being, hard-wired for community. The desire to fit in and be a part of the “norm” is strong. When you step up and say you want something more for yourself, you’re going to create some waves.
When you choose to be a game-changer, you will be outside of your comfort zone. At that defining moment of decision, a little bit – or a lot – of resilience comes in handy.
However, resilience can be a double-edged sword.
A life that requires constant resilience, powering through, and learning tough lessons is a hard life. Resilience is not a state to aspire to, or a badge of honour. If you’re having to be resilient all the time, something is not right.
Cultivate resilience as one of your super-powers. Keep it in your play big toolbox – there when you need it, but not something you require all the time.
#2 – Be Resourceful
Resourceful people are highly creative. When a resourceful person faces a challenge, they don’t get bogged down in the problem – they look for solutions.
I used to believe that being resourceful was a trait that a person was born with, like eye colour. You were either resourceful, or you were not.
Then I met Karen.
Karen came to me with a big dream, but limited resources. She wanted to serve people from all over and not just in the small community where she lives. The first time I mentioned that building her dream business was going to require being resourceful, she responded with, “But I’m not a resourceful person.”
Two thoughts flashed in my mind, “Who told you that?” (her mother) and “How can this be over before it’s begun?” (it wasn’t)
She had hired me as her coach – wasn’t that a display of resourcefulness? So I said, “We’ll see about that.”
Six months later, with a business aligned with her dream and tears in her eyes, Karen thanked me for showing her how resourceful she can be.
Resourcefulness is a choice.
Want to play big? The next time you are faced with adversity or a challenge, plant your feet on the ground, sink into your body, and ask yourself, “What can I do here and now to be resourceful?”
When you allow resourcefulness into your life, you create momentum with more possibilities, higher creativity, and faster growth.
#3 – Take Responsibility
Above all, take responsibility for your life.
You are the author of your life story. You are the one who chooses – consciously or unconsciously – who you are becoming. Every day you write a chapter in the story of your life.
When you take personal responsibility, you see your results as a product of the decisions that you make and the actions that you take.
Go inside.
Examine your results.
Examine how you’re thinking, feeling and acting.
When you take responsibility, if you don’t like what you see or how you feel, you have the power to change it.
Take responsibility for who you are and your current reality. Only then will you have maximum influence over who you are becoming and your future results.
Choose a meaningful journey
The journey of working towards a meaningful goal makes you the person you want to be. Choose to write a meaningful and purposeful story each day.
Want to sustain momentum?
- Be resilient when you need to be.
- Become resourceful and solution-oriented.
- Take responsibility for how you really feel about your current results and the actions that you take.
Integrate resilience, resourcefulness and personal responsibility into your thoughts, feelings and actions. With the 3Rs as your superpowers, you’re on your path to becoming your best you.