Struggling to stay grounded during times of uncertainty? Here’s how to build resilience, self-awareness, and Unstoppable Momentum from the inside out.
This is an article about curveballs, and building resilience on purpose.
(PS: Check out this throwback of Kim in 1982 practicing her backswing. Little did she know she would use that her entire life with all of the curveballs.)
Life often throws us curveballs, leaving us feeling like we’re trapped in a batting cage with a relentless pitching machine and a broken bat. But what if I told you that building resilience (and a fantastically rewarding life and career!) isn’t just about dodging those balls or allowing them to strike you out?
Building resilience takes guts and a mean backswing. It also means stepping up to the plate with a clear purpose, a defined “why” that keeps you focused amid the chaos.
- For organizations, this means embracing their mission and ensuring that every change and challenge aligns with their larger vision. It’s ensuring that people understand the collective ‘why’ and have a roadmap of where they’re going.
- For leaders, team members, and individuals alike, it’s about confronting obstacles from a grounded perspective, confident that your purpose-driven approach will propel you forward.
How exactly does having a strong purpose help you push beyond negative thinking, stay positive during stressful times, and keep motivated when the going gets tough?
This blog explores how integrating your core values and purpose enhances resilience, guiding you to not only withstand adversity but to thrive in the face of it.
First, Reflect on Your Core Values
Understanding your purpose starts with knowing your core values. Put yourself in that batting cage again (Side note: I’m not a huge baseball fan, but that metaphor is too good to pass up). If your purpose gives you focus, then core values are what set your stance, ground your feet, and put power in your swing. Core values are what you stand for, and they guide and influence every decision you make, even if you don’t always realize it.
Many of us don’t take the time to discover and define our core values, and I believe this is one of the reasons many of us struggle in this rapidly changing world that never slows down. If we don’t know who we are, we become the change or challenge—and we lose our footing with every change, challenge, or uncertainty that’s coming at us at breakneck speed.
Identifying your core values will help you understand what drives you, giving you a solid foundation to build resilience, especially when things get hard. Your core values guide every decision you make if you know what they are and why they matter to you.
To get a better sense of your core values, take a moment to reflect on those moments when you felt truly alive and aligned with your inner self.
- What were you doing?
- Who were you with?
- What were you most proud of?
- What qualities that you most admire in others show up in these moments?
- How do you prioritize these moments?
Sometimes, we can reverse engineer our core values when we reflect on times they AREN’T present or acted upon. These are moments of dissonance, exhaustion, or stress.
- Recall a situation where you felt resentful or uncomfortable. What about that situation didn’t sit well with you?
- Consider a time when you felt disappointed in yourself. What action or choice did you make that didn’t align with who you believe you are? What important piece of yourself did you compromise?
- Think about a time when you felt drained or exhausted after an activity or interaction. What aspect of that experience conflicted with your core values?
Momentum Boosting Tip: Take 10 minutes to journal each day about moments that made you feel fulfilled and proud—as well as moments that made you feel frustrated, stressed, or fatigued. Look for patterns in these reflections to uncover your core values.
I encourage you to write down and define your core values as you discover them, not only naming the value but also why it’s important to you.
When you write down your core values, instead of saying “I value [this] because…” try “I prioritize [this] because…” Remember, your core values are the ones that play the biggest role in your life—not humanity as a whole. Most of us have 3-5 core values, and even that list has a priority level.
What values made it on your list?
Then, Connect to Your Purpose
Whether you’re an individual or part of a team, connecting to a larger mission provides direction and meaning. For organizations, this means embedding your mission into every aspect of your work culture and building a team that supports your values. For individuals, it’s about having a personal mission statement that serves as your North Star and surrounding yourself with people who uplift and encourage you as you discover and live your purpose.
With your purpose in mind, changes, challenges, and uncertainty will no longer throw you for such a loop or derail you for long. And that’s because purpose gives you perspective, allowing you to see beyond what challenges take from you—so you can see the opportunities they now present you with. According to Harvard Business Review, Deloitte reports that purpose-driven organizations have 30% higher innovation rates and 40% higher workforce retention rates compared to competitors.
The key here is that when you connect to your purpose, you connect to something far bigger than yourself—a team, a community, a goal, an impact. And when you do that, no setback can set you back for long.
Momentum Boosting Tip: Create a mission or purpose statement for yourself or your team. Keep it visible in your workspace or on your desk as a constant reminder of your bigger picture. This keeps you grounded and focused when things get hard. This statement should answer the question: Why are we here?
Embrace Change as Part of the Journey
Change, challenges, and uncertainty can be daunting, but when you view them through the lens of your purpose, it becomes a part of your journey rather than a detour. Embracing change with a purpose-driven mindset helps you stay resilient because you see each challenge as an opportunity to grow and align more closely with the life and impact you want. You stay grounded in your why, your purpose and it allows you to build sustainable resilience and keep moving forward no matter what.
Momentum Boosting Tip:: When faced with change, take a moment to realign with your purpose. Ask yourself, “How does this change help me move closer to my why or my/our mission?”
There have been several times in my life when I was faced with a significant personal challenge: breast cancer at age 30, a heartbreaking divorce, rebuilding my life and business, and blending while mending after marrying a widower with two children and one of my own. Negativity threatened to creep in from all sides. But then I sat down and reminded myself of my own why, my own vision and mission:
My Vision:
A world filled with adaptable, resilient, unstoppable leaders and workplaces who are fully prepared to live and lead with grit and grace, courage and confidence, connection, and community, hope and possibility—no matter what happens.
My Mission:
To empower leaders, teams, and organizations to harness the power of possibility, reframe change and challenges, redefine resilience, and shift their mindset to ignite Unstoppable Momentum in a rapidly changing world that never slows down.
No matter what challenge I am facing, I believe in my work, in why I was put here on this earth. My team and I believe that we are an unstoppable ripple of changemakers and action-takers who are determined—with every touchpoint—to leave an inspired, empowered, and equipped world in our wake. This is my life’s work. This is my why. This is my impact and legacy. And I live this every single day through my family, my friends, my work and by focusing on what matters most.
And there I go, back on my feet.
My purpose is to inspire and uplift others, to help people see their way up (not their way out). With that in mind, I find a way to rise. I focus on the good and find the strength to not only survive but thrive—even when things go horribly, horribly wrong. My purpose didn’t just help me get through the tough times—it made me stronger.
Your purpose can do the same for you.
So, whether you’re navigating changes at work or dealing with personal hurdles, remember your purpose. Reflect on your values, connect with your mission, embrace change for the power boost it offers, and keep coming back to who you are. Building sustainable resilience with purpose isn’t just about bouncing back; it’s about bouncing forward—on purpose, with purpose.
Keep swinging, friends. You’ve got this.
