4 MORE Take Aways on Resilience from my Interviews with Women Entrepreneurs in the Middle East

On the 18th April 2016 I put up an episode called 'My 3 take aways on reslience from my interviews with Women Entrepreneurs in the Middle East.  As you can see from the image below, these are the results of that download and as I write this blog we are over 2200 downloads!!  Clearly this is something that listeners are resonating with.  Maybe its the current economic climate or change is heavily in the air this month but this episode has become my top episode and each day there are still downloads being counted.  So I thought, so why not do another podcast on another 4.  I did have many 'take aways' but I only covered the top 3 - so here are 4 more.  

Express Gratitude......
I kind of feel guilty about not putting this up there in my top 3 so when I decided to write another resilience post I thought, 'gratitude' is important to have.  When things are tough, I do have a tendency to wallow a bit and hang in that space wondering why is this all  happening.  Which as we all know, achieves very little!  You are literally circling in the same space and going no where. So I've recently turned to gratitude as a way to move my mindset from  'ugh' to 'hoorray'.  Its hard, I must say but writing down what we are grateful for really does move the mind and helps you get back on the positive side. It doesn't happen instantly so I totally understand why people give up practising gratitude as the results are a few weeks away but it can help.  All my guests I have interviewed were always in a place of gratitude.   They were thankful for the podcast coverage, thankful for helping them clarify their own journey through my questions and thankful for being part of a unique opportunity. My podcast is unique in the region and I'm delighted I was able to share their story.  When someone says 'thank you' it really does feel really good and I really do think that if we sit back and be thankful for what we have, what we have done and for the people around us, it really helps our resilience.  I'm learning to practice more gratitude simply by being aware of my negative thoughts and when I hear them in my head, I whip up something I am grateful for.  Try it!!  I've read countless articles that say write down 5 things you are grateful for each day.  Try it!

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Books, Individuals & Goals!
One of the topics I'm always asking my guests is where do you go when you are feeling down, what keeps them motivated and I have seen a pattern through all these women. They all seems to have 3 key places they head too or focus on when things are not going right and that is 'Books, Individuals and Goals'. I discovered that when things were tough, these ladies went back to the drawing board and reconnected with their goals.  They would then then talk to friends, family, mentors or coaches. Those individuals that 'got' them and understood what they were all about and why this journey was so important to them. Then they would widen their learning by reading books.  Reading up on the areas they needed to work on and broaden. Areas that they immediately could fix with a particular problem they had so they could move forward.  When I summed this up in my head, I was thinking, that is pretty simple and why didn't I think of that!!!  I guess its because I'm thinking its more complicated than that!!  So reconnect with you goals, speak to someone and read a book.  It doesn't have to be in that order.  Just what you instinctively go to first.  Now for me, my instinct is to read.  I try and solve the problem myself. I guess its an independence things!  But for you, that could be talking to individuals or just going back to the drawing board and taking a look at your goals.  Oh and FYI, if reading isn't your thing, how about a TEDx episode or a podcast.  We all learn in different ways, so use the best method that works for you. :)  All these ladies I have interviewed, you could also listen too as a tool to connect with and understand yourself too.

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Don't Be Shy, Talk & Share!

These ladies have all learnt how to Talk and Share. They don't bottle up there concerns.  If they have problems or goals that are not being met they talk, they share.  They reach out to people and ask for help. All of these ladies have gotten passed the negatives of entrepreneurship, ljke chaos, confusion & their vulnerabilities and began to talk and share about there shortcomings or their weaknesses and to make change so they can move forward.  Talking about your vulnerabilities or mess ups can be difficult for most but these ladies have learnt to be self aware and know how being shy just doesn't cut it any more if they want to succeed. They need to be heard, they need to share and they need to find the people that will help them.  But what does talking and sharing do? Well it helps you clarify your thoughts and thinking, it helps sort through your feelings and makes things less scary, it can give the issue some prospective.  Another opinion can help turn the issue around and make it seem less intimidating. These ladies have learnt how to talk and share and this has only made them stronger and more resilient.  The more they talk the more confidence they have developed in themselves and their ideas. So next time you are stuck on something, reach out and talk.  Help yourself get clear on an idea, or a problem so you can move forward and achieve your goals.  Sharing is caring right???

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They are always at the beginning!!
I always ask my guests where they think they are on their own learning curve journey. I ask them to imagine a curve line with peaks and trough and ask them where they sit on that curve and they always said we are at the beginning of an upward curve. I always try to say, 'I guessI you are at the top of your curve based on our conversation given how much they have done and achieve' but no.....  they always say they are at the beginning. Everything they do, they are at the beginning of.  Its fascinating to think that all these women are at the beginning, but I totally get it.  It's their mindset. It's their emotional setting. Its their positive and happiness card they are sharing. At this point on the curve, you are raring to go and you are in a positive growth space. I guess its positive psychology to get through the tough times ahead. With that mindset they can face challenges and obstacles, they can be in control of what is to come and then make the choices that suit them and where they are going. None of these ladies EVER said they were coming down a learning curve or were sitting in a trough of a learning curve.  Its just so negative and if you are there, then everything is affected.  You can't make good decisions, you can't be productive and you land up hanging out at your own pity party!! Who wants to be invited to that???  No one!  Overall it is hard to be strong if you are sick and tired so I guess the lesson on resilience here is always have the mindset of being on the upward swing of the learning curve.  If you are there, you are ready for the peak and be ready for the slow slide down the curve.

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Resilience truly is the must have strength for entrepreneurs.  

Through both my blog posts on this subject I can say that resilience can be found in many places you just need to be self aware, observe and keep moving forward. There will always be set backs, you just need to have your  'resilience list' of tasks you can do when it all goes wrong and you are not sure where to turn.  All the women entrepreneurs I have interviewed have instinctively been resilient, even if they know it or not. I've learnt a lot from all of them. A sort of unexpected learning because when I started this journey to explore the women entrepreneurs of the Middle East, my intent was to discover what they did and how they did it not how they were being resilient but deep down I guess that was something I was needing too and is the beating heart of all their stories.

In closing, all these women have put their passion to work, their perseverance in gear and focused on the success and long term goals of their businesses. Some days are harder than others but they push, drive and trail blaze through the entrepreneurial journey and learning curve they have taken on.  These women are amazing and I admire their efforts, action and their personalities.  Thank you for sharing your journeys Ladies.

I invite you to consider where you get your resilience from and if you have a story to share, then please do connect.  The more I talk about this subject the more I'm intrigued by it. The Power of the human spirit to carry on in adversity is amazing!  

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