RESILIENCE FOR YOUNG ENTREPRENEURS

I started freelancing at the age of 18 by tutoring my juniors and writing articles online, and in parallell to continuing my studies.

From those times only I understood the importance of ‘hard earned money’ and being financially independent to a little extent. Times passed and I developed certain entrepreneurship and employability skills much before my peer group, one of the most important among these skills being ‘Resilience.’

Resilience is the ability to be happy, successful again after something difficult or bad has happened; or to bounce back to normal after difficult times.

Developing young children into healthy, thriving successful entrepreneurs isn’t about clearing adversity out of their way. No doubt, if we could lift them over the things that would cause them to stumble would be a wonderful thing, but it wouldn’t necessarily mean spoon feeding them. A little bit of stress is life-giving and helps them to develop the skills they need to flourish. Strengthening them towards healthy living is about nurturing within them the strategies to deal with that adversity. 

Let’s check out how-

1. Presence of Supportive Relationships- A loving relationship with a caring adult gives children the opportunity to develop vital coping skills. The presence of a responsive adult can also help to reverse the physiological changes that are activated by stress. Anyone in the life of a child can make a difference – family, teachers, friends and coaches etc.

2. Let them know that it’s okay to ask for help- Generally, children live with a thought that being brave is about dealing with things by themselves. Instead, let them know that being brave and strong also means knowing when to ask for help. If there is anything they can do themselves, guide them towards that but resist carrying them in your lap over there.

3. Nurture an Optimistic Approach- Being optimistic is one of the key characteristics of resilient people. If you have a child who tends to look at the glass as being half empty, show them a different view. Don’t try to invalidate how they feel and acknowledge their view of the world but introduce them to a different one too.

4. It’s Okay To Not Be Okay- Teach your children that they’re allowed to change their mind, to take a break or leave a situation they don’t feel comfortable in. There’s no need to blame themselves for any of those things just like there’s no need to feel bad about - feeling bad.

Convince them that everyone has rough patches in life and is allowed to fall apart sometimes so that we can find ourselves all over again. And when things start working out well bounce back with much greater force so that the set goal can be easily achieved.