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When the road ahead in your career appears besieged by potholes, debris, slippery surfaces and other unwelcomed surprises, preventing your own emotional spinouts can seem impractical.
Then factor in those traumatic life events that catch you off-guard, and the emotional bruising can send you straight off the road.
Part of the solution, as you may have been reading about in my recent articles on Resilience , is to embed some protocols that allow you to steer into your skid and stay in control. Reframing situations is a key part of this process, allowing you to look at circumstances from a wider perspective, and thereby generate feelings of hopefulness, gratitude and an opportunity to learn. This also lets positive hormones flow, leaving the mental paths open for you to think clearly and creatively. Often, you’ll achieve the best possible outcome, but in some cases, the least bad choice will become the default. Here are four more Skid Lessons to guide you safely down your career path, and fortify your resilience along the way.
Lose That Fixed Mindset
Here’s a choice example of the Growth Mindset, which is essential for emotional resilience. It’s an intentional practice you can embed into your neuropathways beginning NOW. In short, take the opportunity to convert every thought and sentence you utter into your growth mindset parlance. This may sound corny and perhaps hopelessly optimistic, but it comes with a built-in assurance: whether you think you can or think you can’t, you’re right!
At first you might stumble over your old fixed mindset attitude. But with a little self-compassion and intentionality, you’ll begin to feel more comfortable in your new growth mindset. It will feel more natural to form the words. Then your brain will become reconditioned to not just believe, but to know that you’re not a failure. You may have failed at one endeavor, but you came away with an applicable lesson. Even more importantly, this attitude helps you pivot more efficiently to a different, more productive path. For instance, when I assessed my anxiety about underdelivering at that presentation last month , my mind was then able to pivot and get creative about an alternative. Using that growth mindset gave me the resourcefulness to steer into my skid and ultimately deliver a world-class presentation!
Tap Into Your Deeper Wisdom
Remember when I asked you to separate yourself from your challenge in Skid Lesson #1 ? Another way to create distance between the issue and you is to ask yourself a question that comes from a course offered at the School of Practical Philosophy: “What would a wise woman do?” This simple inquiry can airlift you from the scene of your emotional anguish and provide perspective. Meditation leader Tara Brach puts a more personal twist on this sentiment when she asks you to consider the question, “What would an older self say to you right now?”
Related: Discover Your Resilience & Emotional Energy Tank
Secure For Yourself A Support Team
In times of crisis, often our tendency is to withdraw. This is the worst possible move you can make! Instead, maintain a strong support network including friends, family and colleagues. Be open with them by sharing your frustrations. But remember, balance is the key. There’s no need to be an emotional drain on them; rather, turn your growth mindset into the type of verbal communications that will benefit all parties, giving these folks the incentive to keep you from skidding in the future.
The Beauty Of Baby Steps
Once you arrive at a renewed perspective, break down your overwhelming challenges into bite-sized pieces. And remember not to disappoint yourself by always expecting the results to be sunshine and roses. My mother’s cancer diagnosis is prime example. With a 20% survival rate, it wouldn’t have been wise for Mom, my family or me to immediately project one year out. So collectively, we locked into a different kind of perspective. We looked at the phases involved in Mom’s treatment like the innings of a baseball game. That way, we could emotionally prepare for the long haul by enduring it one baby step at a time. And Mom? She became a survivor!
Continuing with the resilience theme, next up we’ll be exploring ways to acquire and sustain Physical Resilience. You might just become a wonder woman of sorts!