Resilience is a big topic today for women leaders today – as we try and bounce back from the first half of 2020 and the Covid-19 virus pandemic. It’s a new term with much new research …so what does bouncing back mean?
Bouncing back is a psychological return to a state of wellbeing, revered as a leadership trait in business during uncertain times or stressful times. Bouncing back is just the beginning of making change, but, then, its elastic quality helps us regain our momentum to move forward supported by our inner circle.
Being resilient is a great quality that helps us overcome chaotic challenges in the economy, society and in our own families. It help us to build and implement change strategies and innovate for wellbeing. So, the big question is when you do bounce back, will you be well positioned to move forward with your whole self, with greater self-awareness and insights that cultivate a path forward? This is a path unlike the road that brought you here, to this place in time.
“Be the witness to your own thoughts.
Choose courage over comfort in navigating a new path”
– Kelley Connors, MPH, Life Work Coach
I talked about resilience in my recent webinar “How to Reignite Your Life’s Work” to BU Alumni. At the end of the webinar I was asked a question I am always prepared for: “I don’t see how this inner work will help me get a new job in my career”. There’s just one answer for this. It comes from your mindset, your lens, your world view which gives you insights about your path forward.
As explained by CAROLINE CASTRILON, Contributor at Forbes, “This is particularly important If you’ve emotionally checked out of your career, and are on autopilot. You get up, go to work, come home, and do it all over again without feeling any real satisfaction. Now it’s time to look inward and reconnect to your authentic self.”
What’s required of us is a real connection with who we are for an authentic new beginning.
In my just launched guide book for women leaders and entrepreneurs, “Be Your Own BRAVE”, I call this connecting “head” with “heart.” It’s this brain-heart connection that helps you understand exactly what brings you joy and meaning and to let go of the past old stories that bind you, warp your perspective and cause you stress. The connection to heart is absolutely key and it moves you…emotionally, physicially and intellectually forward … no matter your circumstances. (The moving forward part come from the heart’s highly motivating energy.)
Over the last few months, the relative social isolation has been a great time to self-reflect on who we really are, and to see what our attachments are. Our attachments can so easily get in the way of moving forward. By letting go of attachments, those things we do out of habit not intention, we can identify more clearly with what’s most important. We can also take stock of our unique strengths and talents and how to leverage them more powerfully moving forward.
What I believe in is this: if you want to connect with others remotely in this new virtual world, and as times are uncertain, it’s increasingly important for you to get grounded in the fundamentals of who you are as a leader or entrepreneur. The components are tightly linked to you as a person…your “why”, your “how” and your “what”. If you’ve never seen this video before, Simon Sinek refers to these components in his original TED Talk and it’s definitely applicable to you as a personal brand today.