Do you love or dread Mondays?

Learn to love Mondays more than Fridays.

If you don’t love Mondays, something is wrong. Don’t beat yourself up about it. Most people prefer Friday over Monday because they don’t love their job. 

It’s a problem for both you and employers but there is a solution. Paris de l’Etraz, PhD, instructor of Stanford’s From Idea to Market program, recently spoke about the importance for entrepreneurs to be resilient. Whether you’re a budding entrepreneur or wanting a different job, Paris’s framework for building resilience will help you take the next step.

Five steps for building resilience in your career

1/ Introverts versus extroverts. 

Understand who you are. Paris talks about introverts as being nerdy because they often work in analytical jobs like programming, accounting, consulting and banking. Data gives them comfort. 

However, if introverts have been pushed outside their comfort zone, they can be quite comfortable with uncertainty especially if they have a relatively stable personal life. The level of certainty in one area is balanced by the level of uncertainty in the other area.

Extroverts on the other hand are much more comfortable with uncertainty in all areas of life.

 2/ Harness the emotions of others.

Everyone is seeking meaning in their life. When dealing with others, especially customers, think about how you can deliver an experience that is meaningful to them. Being intentional is a very caring act and one that requires an investment of your time and energy to do right.

3/ Mission or mercenary.

Understand what drives you – passion vs. money. Passion will put a smile on your face more often than not. You’ll loose interest a lot faster if money is your main pursuit.

Entrepreneurship or any significant goal often involves a long and hard journey. To stay the course, you need to have a strong sense of purpose. Simon Sinek talks about purpose as being your Why. Make sure your Why is clear before you start so that you can refer back when the path gets tough.

4/ Know your strengths and weaknesses. 

Everyone has many weaknesses and only a few strengths. It’s worth your time and effort to understand your strengths well because your strengths will set you apart from the others. In a noisy environment, differentiation is good.

5/ See yourself as a salesperson. 

Read To Sell is Human by Daniel Pink because everyone needs to have some sales skills. Beyond the product or service, your sales results has more to do with how you make someone feel than what you say.