Bouncing back & showing up
Mar 29, 2020
Bouncing back & showing up
Did you have a bouncy ball when you were a kid? One of those small quarter-sized balls that bounced in every direction when you dropped it on the ground?
I didn’t have the best hand-eye coordination as a kid. Well, let’s face it. I still don’t but it isn’t as obvious now because I don’t typically do things that require it. Plus, I wear glasses. And have knee problems. And am on the older side of life. LOL. All good reasons to NOT showcase my lack of coordination.
Okay, back to the story. I remember having one of those balls and trying to play with it outdoors. I would drop it down and then chase after it time after time. I would get frustrated and bring it inside to play with it in the kitchen (because it had a hard floor) because then it wouldn’t go quite as far away from me. But I kept trying to bounce it and catch it.
I was demonstrating Resilience. And when you are growing an online business, it is critical to be resilient.
A little history
I don’t remember hearing about resilience when I was growing up so I did a little research on how the term developed and grew into its current use.
“Resilience” - the capacity to recover quickly from difficulties; toughness
In the 1970s researchers and scientists started referring to psychological resilience to refer to children who were successful despite their circumstances. By the mid-90s, it was being used to refer to adults in psychological settings. And since then it has expanded out to refer not just to individuals but also culturally and has expanded from mental health to general personality traits.
How can we be resilient?
Resilience at its most basic level is the ability to bounce back from adversity. Well, we know we’re going to have adversity in our lives. Jesus said that we would have difficulties but that he would give us peace (John 16:33).
One of the interesting things about starting and growing an online business is how personally challenging it can be to hit “publish” on a blog post or click on the “go live” button. Maybe it is the relatively easy entry into the online business space (as opposed to the investment in a brick & mortar) but it takes ongoing resilience to keep showing up and putting yourself out there on the world wide web.
We can lean in on God and use his strength - through the Holy Spirit which lives inside of us.
We’re called to be strong in the Lord. We can use his strength.
Psalm 31:24: Be strong and take heart,
all you who hope in the Lord.
Phil 4:13: I can do everything through him who gives me strength
Eph 6:10-14: Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rules, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place.
When I feel caught up in my circumstances, I choose to focus on God and who he is and what he has done. I spend time praising God for all that he is: his power, his wisdom, his love, his creativity, etc.
Then, I turn the focus on how I can help others. James 4:10: Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.
Taking the focus off of ourselves helps reduce our own anxiety, worry, etc. It also brings us back to focusing on God and what he is calling us to do.
Psalm 62:8: Trust in him at all times, O people;
pour out your hearts to him,
for God is our refuge.
I challenge you today to strive for resilience and turn to God for your strength.
Photo from: Photo by Yasin Alsbey on Unsplash
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