Life is like riding a rollercoaster. The flight up to the peaks can be exhilarating, and the twists and turns down into the valleys are often scary. However, the reactions can really depend on who is riding the rollercoaster. Some of us love the entire experience – both the thrills and the horrors. While some of us just hold on for dear life and want the ride to end as soon as possible!
So, which one are you? How do you deal with life’s highs and lows? Do you recoil when times are tough or do you stand tall and bounce back bigger, better, stronger?
Within the SPARK philosophy lies the Bounce Back Mindset. It is built on, and driven by an ethic of resilience. A resilience to overcome any challenge – personal, professional, societal and/or social. It advocates using any downfall as a trigger to fuel your energy and drive to propel you to greater heights. It means viewing all setbacks as essential stepping stones leading to greener pastures. With every downfall and setback you overcome, the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual reserves fall into alignment to form a unified action force that is fully tooled to engage effectively with impediments.
The key to the Bounce Back principle is to resist getting stuck in the theoretical realm and to take practical steps to finding solutions.
Here’s a personal example:
When I was a young boy, I was trying to find my way into a social circle. One of the roads I had was through sports. However, my first experience on this journey was not the best. I found a group of boys playing football (soccer) in my neighborhood and asked to join in. In a matter of a few minutes I was ridiculed and humiliated as a talentless player, and was asked to step aside. Long story short, that incident became the catalyst for my formidable years ahead. Instead of succumbing to the criticism, I used that episode as my main motivation to work hard and become better at the sport. Eventually, football paved the way for me as an athlete, community member, and most importantly as a father. Football became a bridge that strengthened my relationship with my son. We both love the game, support the same club, and talk about the sport every chance we get. This shared passion has made us the best of comrades to this day.
Moral of the story – if you truly desire something, no obstacle should hold you back from maximizing the benefits of that aspiration.
Remember, the decision you make from that first moment of failure or strife can significantly impact the eventual outcome. By choosing to use the event as an ignition to start up your Bounce Back Mindset, you will exponentially increase your odds of transforming that loss into a resurgent victory.
Road to Peak Resilience
As previously noted, resilience is the cornerstone of overcoming challenges. Forming a Bounce Back Mindset gives you the ability to withstand adversity and turn setbacks into successful comebacks.
Here are 10 powers you can develop on your way to peak resilience:
1. Step Away from the Victim Mindset: It’s easy to feel like a victim when things go wrong despite your best efforts. However, remaining in a victim mindset prevents you from recognizing new possibilities and opportunities arising from the situation. Be mindful of protecting your mental space from negativity by surrounding yourself with positivity and limiting exposure to toxic influences. While circumstances might not be in our control, our response always is. Take proactive steps to regain control.
2. Focus on the big picture: Major setbacks can feel overwhelming, making it easy to lose sight of solutions. However, taking an objective look at the situation reveals that challenges often have specific, manageable causes rather than being all-encompassing. By focusing on the underlying issues, you can shift from feeling paralyzed to feeling empowered to find solutions. Consider how long you believe the crisis and its repercussions will last. Adjust your mindset to see the crisis as temporary and manageable.
3. Shift from Cause to Solution-Oriented Thinking: Avoid the temptation to blame yourself or others. Instead, focus on the lessons learned and identify the best possible responses or actions you can take right now to improve the situation. Ask yourself, “What aspects of the situation can I directly influence to change the course of this crisis or obstacle?”
4. Embrace a Growth Mindset: Believe in your ability to learn and improve. Analyze the situation to understand what went wrong and focus on the lessons learned rather than dwelling on the setback itself. View setbacks as opportunities to explore new ideas and foster growth. Define what “bouncing back” means for you and set achievable goals to regain momentum. For example, ask yourself, “What would the leader I most admire do in this situation?”
5. Be Objective vs. Emotional: In times of crisis, it’s easy to be swarmed with negative emotions. While our emotions can provide valuable insights into ourselves and the situation, being overwhelmed by them can prevent us from choosing the best and most timely response, potentially worsening the situation. However, ignoring or repressing your feelings is not the solution. Instead, acknowledge these feelings, and then remind yourself of the highest good you can achieve in the situation. This helps keep your thoughts and actions focused and positive.
6. Set Clear Goals: Visualise thriving in a new post-crisis time and identify ways to reconfigure your approach. Ask yourself how your efforts can positively impact people around you. What skills or insights will this crisis help you to gain and master? Define your new goals and objectives to create a clear path forward. And break down your larger goals into smaller, achievable steps to maintain momentum and track progress.
7. Embrace Criticism – Criticism is an inevitable part of life, more so during difficult situations. But it doesn’t have to paralyze you. Remember, criticism often reflects the criticizer, not you. People’s opinions are just that – opinions. They are not the truth or gospel. Let them affect you only if they hold some truth. Use criticism as a tool for growth, not as a measure of your worth. Your focus should be on improving yourself every day. Keep your eyes on your goals, and let your actions speak louder than words.
8. Build a Support Network: Surround yourself with positive and supportive people who can offer encouragement and guidance. Seek out individuals who uplift and inspire you, and connect with those who share your core values and beliefs. This creates a sense of belonging and mutual understanding. Cultivate a network with diverse backgrounds and viewpoints to explore different perspectives, leading to innovative solutions and personal growth. Identify who on your team can help you and determine the best way to engage their support. Finally, remember that a strong support network is built on reciprocity; be there for others as much as you expect them to be there for you.
9. Practice Self-Care: Prioritize physical and mental well-being through daily meditation, exercise, healthy eating, and relaxation techniques. For example, journaling about difficult episodes can enhance emotional and physical well-being. Take at least 15 minutes daily to write down your responses to resilience-building questions. This exercise helps you generate solutions and rely on this practice over time.
10. Celebrate Progress: Acknowledge your achievements and wins, no matter how small. This reinforces your belief in your abilities.
To summarize, your mindset is the foundation of your resilience. It calls on you to be self aware; to let go of negativity – physically and mentally, and to be completely present by paying attention and focusing on one thing at a time. Be proactive and deliberate with your habits and choices in life. Each decision you make will impact the road you take and the destination you reach.
Finally, be sure to remain strong and determined throughout your journey.
What are your personal experiences of the highs and lows of building resilience? Are there any tools you use to elevate your powers of resilience? I’d love to read about your journey in the comments. If you are open to exploring the 10 strategies covered above in more detail, plus much more, consider joining my upcoming SPARK Masterclass, beginning October 2024, where I will share some valuable insights on raising your resilience levels to live a life of greater fulfilment, abundance and significance. For more information on the online program and to register go to corporatesufi.com/spark-masterclass.