Resilience Archives - Sharon M Weinstein

July 24, 2017 By Sharon Weinstein

What are your strengths?

What are your strengths? Within the workplace, you identify your strengths as communication skills, technology, people management, writing, leadership and more. What about within your life – how would you identify your strengths? When you update your LinkedIn profile, what changes do you make? Perhaps those changes address your workplace, your functions, your responsibilities. Think beyond your professional profile; think about yourself.

I encourage you to consider the following areas: physical, emotional, mental, spiritual, and intellectual.

The physical you requires good nutrition, appropriate weight, beneficial exercise and adequate rest.

The emotional you needs to give and receive forgiveness, love and compassion; needs to laugh and experience happiness; needs joyful relationships with yourself and others.

The mental you needs self-supportive attitudes, positive thoughts and viewpoints and a positive self-image.

The spiritual you requires inner calmness, openness to your creativity, and trust in your inner knowing.

The intellectual you requires fulfillment, personal development, and satisfying relationships.

It is mid-year, and perhaps it is time to realize your strengths and reach your potential.

Resolve to be the captain of your ship – your body/mind/spirit. A comfortable, healthy balance between your physical, mental, emotional and spiritual aspects doesn’t happen accidentally. Someone has to be in charge, and that someone is always you. Sit back, recognize your strengths, and prepare to launch anew in mid-2017!

May 22, 2017 By Sharon Weinstein

Do you have/need a spine?

A spine. You need one to survive and thrive!

A lot of people are afraid to tell the truth, to say no. That’s where toughness comes into play. Toughness is not being a bully. It’s having backbone.

— Robert Kiyosaki

Have you ever felt used, abused, taken advantage of, insecure? Chances are we have all felt that way at one time or another, especially in childhood. I grew up with very little—if any—self-esteem, and yes, I was walked on—and over—many times. I gravitated to folks similar to me. One of my first boyfriends was a wonderful guy who would give you the shirt off of his back, and never ask for a thing in return. And everyone took advantage of his generosity and kind spirit.

Being known as Mr. Good Guy may work for a while, but it certainly cannot last forever. At some point, even the most generous of us will finally say, “Enough!” Chances are, when that does happen, things have come to more than enough, and we are at our wits’ end trying to decide how to get on with our lives and assert ourselves.

How much of a spine—or backbone—do you have?

To answer that question and determine where you stand and what you need to do to get out of your own way, ponder these questions. Respond honestly.

Is the whole world out to get you?
Do you moan and groan?
Do you worry too much about what other people think?
Do you avoid taking a stand?
Are you easily distracted from your goals?
Do you avoid all risks, even small ones?
Do you control what you will do each day, or do others control you and your behaviors?

If your responses are anything like mine were at one time, it may be a good time to grow that spine, get a life, and move on! There’s no time better than now!

December 28, 2016 By Sharon Weinstein

Focus…why it matters!

“The biggest adventure you can ever take is to live the life of your dreams.” –Oprah Winfrey

Our chaotic lives can easily distract us from our focus. How many times in a day do you find yourself in a room, knowing you were there for a reason, but unable to remember the reason you went there? Or, at the end of the day with a heavy sigh, looking over your to-do list from that morning, realizing you barely made a dent in your list? We joke and attribute it to old age—even the young do this—but more likely it is a difficulty in maintaining focus.

Focus: What it is and why that’s important

Focus is the thing that keeps us on track. It’s what we do when we have a goal to achieve. We keep focused on doing what we need to do to accomplish the tasks that cumulatively make up the goal. Focus is also an ability to remain undistracted. It is what we use to intently pursue a goal like running the Boston Marathon, studying for exams, writing a paper, or creating artwork. It is this kind of focus that is the source of the “Aha” moment we hope for when seeking solutions and setting goals. Getting to it, to that Aha moment of achievement or recognition, includes the knowledge of how to define your path and work your plan. Forbes Magazine published an informal study on Aha Moments; this is my favorite: “No one – not your mother, your clients or the vendors you’re working with – wants to tell you ‘No’ when you ask for something; most people want to find a way to tell you ‘Yes’. My “aha” moment was when I realized this and started asking for what I wanted in life.” I truly believe in asking for what you want in life. That became reality when I proposed to my husband on our 5^th date, and we were married on the 10^th day since we had met. What closed the deal for me? The very first phone call, which lasted 3 hours, in which he described his amazing family. Although he was an only child, and his dad had passed when he (my husband was just 14), he depicted a family of which I wanted to be a part. And, so, I asked by simply focusing, and stating, “I’m not working on Wednesday, would you like to get married?” The rest is history!

Are you focused on what the New Year may bring?

December 11, 2016 By Sharon Weinstein

How many times have you failed?

“I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” – Thomas A. Edison

Think about it! Long before Walt Disney built Disneyland, he was told he lacked creativity. Before Arianna Huffington launched Huffington Post, 36 publishers rejected her second book. Consider Bill Gates, whose first company was a disaster, with a product that barely worked.

Nobody wants to fail, but even the brightest and most successful people have faced this challenge at some point in their careers. Life is a constant seesaw. Most of us teeter between our achievements and our mistakes.

Some mistakes are greater than others. Have you ever made a mistake? Have you missed your sales target, blown a presentation, or lost an opportunity?

How does failure affect us? What is one career or life failure that has taught you something about yourself? – Failure happens – whether we want to admit it or not. But we can turn our failures into learning experiences that enable us to do better next time.

What about your job history? Did you ever accept a position that was a huge mistake – and you just knew that you were not in the right place at the right time? I certainly did – I did not vet the future employer; I did not do my homework. I did not realize that there were 5 people in my position in the previous 3 years and that the fact that I needed to fire my predecessor was a message not to be missed. Mistake – yes? Failure – no!

Take action and move on. How do you get things back on track? Deal with your mistake head on, and then advance to the next thing. Start your next project, look at new ventures or consider a new task at hand. Remember your hard-learned lessons as you keep moving forward, and you’ll emerge stronger and more resilient than before. Join the ranks of Huffington, Disney, and Gates…who overcame failure and achieved success!

To start the process: