5 Traits of Emotionally Resilient People

Football. Food. Laughs. Disbelief. Utter Disbelief.

Maybe you partook in one of the above items a few weeks ago during the Super Bowl, and maybe you enjoyed it; or maybe you didn’t. Either way, it was a fantastic game, and a beautiful display of emotional resiliency. For those who didn’t watch the game, this is scorecard:

Ultimately, the New England Patriots - headed by Tom Brady (Quarterback) - led a comeback in the 2nd half to force overtime, eventually winning in that overtime. This blog post however isn’t meant to talk about football, it’s designed to highlight the specific nature of emotionally resilient people, and what we can learn from this specific game.

5 Traits of Emotionally Resilient People

#1 Have perspective:

During the game, Tom Brady and the Patriots needed to keep a positive perspective, likely battling internal thoughts about losing (feeling ashamed, embarrassed, etc.). However, they hadn’t lost, at least not yet, and they chose to see that. By keeping this perspective, the Patriots were able to overcome the doubt of a negative start.

The lesson: Positive perspective allows us to learn from our mistakes instead and move forward accordingly; positively.

#2 Depend on a team:

Many people have been quoted saying that football is the ultimate team sport, and in many ways it’s true. Guess what? Tom Brady didn’t win the Super Bowl by himself. He was surrounded by coaches, players, and family members that all - have and will - play a part in his success.

The lesson: Resilient individuals realize they don’t have to wonder alone, and they become intentional about surrounding themselves with the ‘right’ people.

#3 Be honest:

At halftime of the Super Bowl they was no celebrating in the Patriots locker room. They were down, mad, and embarrassed. They also were aware and willing to see the truth. Honesty and self awareness allows us to assess, critique, and progress.

The lesson: You can’t fool yourself, so don’t try. Accept the truth, assess it within appropriate perspective, and create a plan to move forward.

#4 Look for options:

Tom Brady passed, ran, handed it off, called timeout, and spiked the ball. Each of these moves was intentional, planned-ahead, and strategic. Like a surgeon working a scalpel, the Patriots functioned with precision in the 2nd half of the Super Bowl. Much of this was due to having options; options they had prepared for ahead of time.

The lesson: Preparation is important, and when done correctly, options will show themselves as available. This relates to your life, your sports, and your career.

#5 Fight with everything:

Is Tom Brady the best quarterback in NFL history? Maybe. Maybe not. One thing is certain however, he is one of the best fighters in all of sports, and probably careers. The passion, resiliency, and emotion that he produces every single day is unrivaled, and you can see it. Tom Brady want’s to be the best, and there isn’t much standing in the way of him chasing that.

The lesson: You have to be willing to fight with everything when you have lofty goals.

Resiliency isn’t just something you’re born with; it’s something that’s practiced, and learned. The Super Bowl win by Tom Brady and the New England Patriots is a great example of emotional resiliency in action.

My hope is that you use the above traits to influence your lives, families, and careers. Remember, you too can be resilient. You just have to work at it.

7 Strategies To Land Your Dream Job

Many people have a story that follows this pattern. Start small, work hard, wait a longtime, and then finally, make it. But, this post isn't about those stories. This post is about how to take action and effectively land your dream job. So, here are 7 strategies that you can use right now to advance your career: 1) Read the room

One of the best ways to advance your career is understanding how to read a room. It’s having the social and emotional intelligence to accurately identify the landscape and respond with a fitting emotional response. Another way to look at this is, know your audience.

Using charisma, attention to detail, and effective communication skills, you can read rooms effectively. However, it’s not really about how you act or what you do, it’s about how you listen and respond to the wants, desires, and passions of your employer and/or team. This ultimately will bring value to you, your community, and your career.

2) Know what the problems are

Misunderstanding, miscommunication, and lack of expectations are a few of the things that derail careers and relationships. That’s why it’s important to know what the problems are, understand your audience, and deliver on your promises.

When you look at the highest performing professionals in the workplace, you’ll see knowledge and understanding; in many ways it’ll seem like these individuals are able to read the minds of their audiences. When you’re able - and willing - to understand the problems, you’ll be more prepared to provide appropriate solutions. This can relate to your working relationships as well as the advancement of organizations as a whole.

3) Be memorable

When you are memorable, you’re more than just you. Think about it this way: what do you remember about your grandparents? I’m guessing, it’s more than just their names. Likely, you remember their home, smell, sayings, and passions. This is because humans remember memorable things, not just people. So, think about how you can be memorable in a positive light.

Here are a few examples of how you can be memorable in your career:

• You use a specific saying all the time
• You treat people well consistently
• You make jokes or you don’t make jokes
• You understand yourself well – your strengths and weaknesses

4) Make your message about them, not simply you.

Everyone likes it when you make a message about them, and not simply about yourself. When you’re able to make your message about those around you and not just yourself, you create trust, and even more importantly, interest.

In a professional setting (i.e. an interview, training, or a review), it’s important to remember that you can actually get your agenda across by speaking directly about - and directly to – the challenges of those around you and how you can help them hurdle those obstacles.

5) Surround yourself with even better people

Create a tribe of contacts who are your biggest believers, who will advocate for you and rally around your messages, beliefs, and goals. But, more importantly, surround yourself with people who will make you look better, and ultimately, be better. When you do this, you create clout as a leader, and will be better prepared to actually be one.

6) Engage the outside regularly and thoughtfully

When it comes to advancing your career, it’s important to be consistent, keep people “in the know,” and to be thoughtful and strategic in your approach. When you’re able to do these things, you will actually begin to develop a trusted brand outside of your personal network or in the case of your job, outside of your professional role.

7) Be yourself

Building a personal brand creates a unified experience of you that those outside of your circle can relate to, and it also helps you understand more about yourself. Remember, we’re all different and unique. When you’re true to yourself, you’ll begin to land the jobs you want, in the cultures you’re looking for much more easily.

The above strategies are simple areas that you can control, and use, to advance your career. To learn more about how to take control of your career, click here.