The Oxford Dictionary describes resilience as the capacity to recover from difficulties and toughness. For entrepreneurs, it is also the ability to adapt, learn and move forward when circumstances do not unfold as expected.

What failure taught me

I once ran a business for four years that gave me no return on my investment. It brought exhaustion, burnout and very little prospect of the success I had hoped would transform life for me and my family.

Walking away after investing my money, effort and time was one of the most challenging decisions of my life. But I learned that failure in one business did not mean failure for life, or failure in another business.

That shift in attitude helped me start again without wasting time. I used the experience and knowledge from the previous business and went on to succeed exponentially.

The value of support

A mentor with the right experience and skills helped me push myself and the new business towards the goals I wanted to achieve. Asking for help was not a weakness. It was pivotal to progress.

Traits that support resilience

• A positive attitude and optimism
• The ability to regulate emotions
• Seeing failure as useful feedback
• A flexible approach to new situations
• The willingness to learn from experience
• The ability to ask for help when it is needed

The right support is available. Resilience grows when experience becomes learning and learning becomes purposeful action.