The current economic funk doesn’t have to be all doom and gloom.  But it feels this way for the millions affected personally.  I know it’s really hard to see, but many of you will thrive more as a result of it. 

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not out whistling a happy tune every day.  However, research has found that in stressful business environments, 30% of us will become stronger and better at what we do.  With this experience, we will be able to achieve more and perform better in the future.  I want to be part of that group.

Stress is an interesting thing.  It can devastate some, but invigorate others.  Those who approach stress with a sense of curiosity, hard work, fortitude and the characteristics of resilience (remember: the 3 c's), can unveil aspects of themselves that they didn’t know previously existed.  If we are able to fend off despair, we can enter a period of self-renewal.  This process plants the seeds of new growth and new opportunity.

Let me give you an example from my own life.  I lost a great deal of money in the Tech crash of 2000-2001.  My hope of someday having the freedom to figure out “what I really wanted to do” was quickly dismantled.  From this disappointment I had to make my way through the stages of grief (Shock and Denial, Pain and Guilt, Anger and Bargaining, Depression, Reflection, Reconstruction, Acceptance).

As a result of this experience, I realized I was putting off developing what I really wanted until some future arbitrary date.  This deferred hope was not a reliable platform on which to build my future.  I realized that I needed to start doing “what I really wanted to do” in the here and now.  Where I once was feeling loss and despair, I was now feeling a new found self-renewal… an opportunity.  I became excited about learning, growing, and ultimately carving a new path with renewed vigor.

While I learned a lot from this crisis, I constantly have to re-learn this lesson based on the new circumstances that come my way in life.  This same principle applies to organizations.  Tomorrow I’ll share how current economic difficulties can be a catalyst for making your organization stronger.