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Have you ever heard yourself saying something like… “After this week, after this project, after I achieve –you name it– I will… slow down and find balance”?
You are not alone. I’ve heard myself out loud –also my inner voice– say it more than 1.000.000 times.
Yet the truth is, after all, THERE IS NO FINISH LINE.
The line is not mine, if you check the internet you might find it attributed to a well-known “Just Do It” brand, and also to martial artist and action film star Chuck Norris and American football Coach Bill Courvey:
“In the marathon of life, there is no finish line.” – Bill Courtney
“There is no finish line. When you reach one goal, find a new one.” – Chuck Norris
It took me some time to fully understand it.
In the beginning, I felt a sense of resistance.
Yet, after reflecting on it I got the insight.
When it comes to leadership – my field of expertise -, career, projects, teams, organisations, growth, learning, and development… there is no finish line. “Success” is a matter of resilience.
According to the World Economic Forum 92% of founders identify resilience as the most critical trait for success, ranking it even higher than problem-solving, communication, and influencing skills.
You’ve heard it before: Life is a journey.
Understanding this means that value is not found when arriving somewhere nor in reaching a given milestone and from there changing things for the better or doing something different.
It is more about changing the way you do things –on the go– so they get just a little bit better every day as you keep getting anywhere and everywhere you would like to get.
Wiseman Eraclitus (500 BC) already said it… “Change is the only constant”.
It is also true that if you run out of battery (aka burnout or deplete) there is no more game to play.
I learned this the hard way a few years ago.
I am still building my craft, not in finding so-called life-work balance but in mastering balancing.
Yeah! It is an ongoing PRACTICE made of self-awareness and energy management.
In better understanding HOW TO RUN (manage) your battery and learning HOW TO BEST RE-CHARGE IT on the go, you already win in this, life’s never-ending marathon.
It is about enhancing your capacity so you better reach the next level, project, job, and even vacation with ENERGY, a sense of WELL-BEING, and JOY.
It is called BUILDING RESILIENCE.
There is science behind it and a myriad of diverse approaches and strategies for doing so. I follow the one of the heart.
Did you know that our biological hearts are our most important body’s energy generator?
From the perspective of the heart, you are to be considered an energetic being.
From this vantage point, learning to best manage your energy is a UNIQUE JOURNEY of personal development (with professional benefits and implications) that follows a set of scientifically proven principles.
There are cognitive (mental), emotional, physical, and spiritual energy sources and expenditures.
Gaining a deeper understanding of the uniqueness of your energy sources and expenditures empowers you to gain self-energy management competence.
Building your resilience starts by building awareness of your energy drains and your energy boosts.
What depletes your energy?
What builds it up?
Go ahead, and take some time to reflect and make your list.
Like with your mobile phone, your battery will always need to be recharged and it will always deplete again. The need for rest and sleep is predefined in the factory presets of our human life ; )
Imagine it for a second:
What if you could improve the way you manage your energy and with it extend the battery length and strength? In which ways would you benefit from it? How would your life (or work) be better or different?
If you, like me, a committed world citizen, then you know from experience that your drive to deliver, grow, and achieve is both your strength and your weakness.
If you, like me, are passionate and engaged in what you do, then you already understand that your strengths can also be your weaknesses.
Your personal and professional development is not an outcome but an ongoing journey.
As much as you enjoy what you do, is it sometimes difficult to stop and make time outside the “work, work, work” for your loved one, family, friends, and everything else that is also beautiful, meaningful, and worthwhile in this human existence?
It might be that you have a winner’s soul, just like LeBron James. Maybe even like him, you find that aspiring to win and improve might sometimes feel like a curse.
Answering Nike’s 2024 PARIS Olympics campaign, I would dare to say that no, you are not a bad person for aspiring to achieve, deliver, and improve.
Achieving and becoming all you can become requires ambition. Yet how you manage that ambition healthily will make you a true winner in the end. BTW true winners win by raising others on their way to Olimp.
In your pursuit of greatness, making your dream(s) come true requires developing your mastery to continuously build resilience.
True is also that this “run of life marathon” is not about medals and podium triumphs but about well-being, self-actualization, meaning, and fulfillment.
In this, your life’s marathon, there is power in understanding and finding your unique undefeatable pace.
That is why you are still here, taking the time to read these lines.
Growth and self-improvement are deeply driving you.
To continuously improve is what inspires your practice and perseverance.
Actualising your full potential fuels your soul.
I get you, so does my own.
If you, like me, know that your full potential is still unknown and you are moved to find out more, this is your home.
No matter if you are an entrepreneur, business owner, or employee, when your passion drives you there is a special set of capabilities you need to develop to consistently play your best game, in a sustainable way.
Building Resilience is one of them.
Yeah, you do not need to be apologetic about your want to win. Grit, determination, and sacrifice are required to achieve what you aim for.
Remember:
The judge never wins.
The real winner is the learner.
To take time to stop, be, reflect, and integrate makes you an MVP (Most Valuable Player).
We learn by reflecting on experience, not by experience alone.
That is what coaching is about. Quality reflection practice time, in a safe space, that builds up your leadership muscles, so day after day you become all you could ever be.
Practicing “balancing” is about nurturing well-being, presence, focus, self-awareness, and gratitude.
It is about celebrating the process and not constantly failing in the trap of “What is next?” still consistently taking on the right next steps (in due time) so you can capture and integrate more of the value you create to refuel for what is still ahead.
So tell me, here and now, 1 to 10 what is your energy level?
Do you feel that you are running out of gas?
I also did, big time, yet not anymore.
The World Economic Forum also tells us that 78% of small businesses survive the first year but long-term survival declines over time. If you aim for long-term sustainable impact you need to build your resilience, become an stronger, more adaptable you –so you can better thrive in uncertainty. With it also better support your team, organisation and business in doing so.
If you are interested in enhancing leadership clarity, lead and manage more effectively despite stress, getting to know practical tools and frameworks to strengthen your leadership resilience, don’t hesitate to reach out.
Power to you!
