Strong Female Leaders

By Nan Nan Liu-Maffetone | Strong Female Leaders | Reading Time: 10 Minutes

Tough experiences such as the current pandemic can offer opportunities for all of us to learn, grow and thrive. Over the last two years, businesses have pivoted their processes, knowledge workers have found new ways to collaborate and be productive, and entrepreneurs have found new problems to solve. With the right mindset, there is nothing that we cannot accomplish, even during disruptive experiences. Today's article is about mentality development during hard times. If you also want to learn, grow and thrive during difficult situations, then the tips below will help you out.

1. Have faith.

And truly, have faith. When life throws you a wrench, it is easy to fall victim to the circumstances. However, that's no way to grow. First, whatever hardship that you are going through, be it job loss, career change or having too much on your plate, believe that better days will come. Then, be sober and expect that it will take significant amounts of work to re-build life itself. As soon as you come to terms with that, keep your head down and work hard, and focus on making things better.

2. Get to know yourself more.

A concrete sense of self can give you the confidence that you need to face life's challenges. If you have lost yourself in the rushed daily routine, perhaps a crisis offers the opportunity to slow down and get to know yourself better? Perhaps it's a sign that you need a break or a chance to pursue a different path?
Take the opportunity to travel, focus on family, get lost in the woods, work on hobbies, or whatever makes you happy until you feel like yourself again.

3. Send yourself positive vibes.

Look in the mirror and give yourself a weekly 1:1. Pretend that the person in the mirror is someone that you need to coach. Ask for what she has learned in the past week, what she wants to improve on during the next week, and how she plans to make those improvements? Give her honest feedback, as if you would with a friend or a trusted team member. In the end, leave with words of encouragemnt and positive energy.
It also helps if you gave her a reward once in a while, for the progress that she has made. Be it coffee for that detailed report she wrote, a bottle of wine for the smooth sales pitch that she presented, or a new pair of shoes for the winning campaign that she just ran. Any reward, big or small, is great way of sending her positive vibes.
Focusing converstaions, especially conversations with yourself, on growth, progress and positivity is the foundation of instilling a growth mindset.

4. Exercise relentless improvement.

During hardship, we often feel the type of vulnerability that brings out the worst sides of being a human being. Jealousy. Resenment. Self-deprecation. In many cases, self-aggrandizement too. If you find yourself behaving like someone with a bad case of superiority complex, like basking in past glory, putting others down and being unreasonably demanding, stop and take a hard look at yourself.
Even if you are skilled at what you do, have a coveted position by average social standards or are well-known in the industry, you still have things to improve on. Though you've worked hard and deserve a praise or two, the tougher the situation, the humbler you would want to be. Because an inflated ego will eventually explode into pieces.
Focus your energy on finding ways to do things that you already do well, like reviewing existing methods, sharpening existing skills and optimizing existing processes. Find ways to leverage your expertise and influence to set the people around you up for success.
Opportunities to improve are everywhere, but only if you "remove the blindfold." By making the most out of each one, you take control by challenging yourself before life challenges you. Instead of "why me," confront life and say, "try me."

Parting thhoughts

Crises like Covid-19 are undeniably challenging but also a part of life. You cannot stop them from happening but you can take the reins and handle them like the champion you were born to be. Mentality development during hard times isn't just wishing and praying that things will get better, but having genuine faith and taking action. In the end, you emerge better, sharper and wiser, and own a set of mental tools that can be used to weather any storm.
When in doubt, remember this quote: