Resilience is often times cited as the one thing that separates successful entrepreneurs from those who are not. If so, how does one become resilient?
I believe that resilience is a skill that can be developed. While personality does contribute to how an individual reacts to a situation, I believe that practice can train a person to replace their natural reaction with a deliberate action.
For me, I've found working on resilience is best practiced outside of my startup. The psychology translates and besides, startups aren't practice, they're the test.
Over time I've learned to practice resilience through exercise. A few years ago, I started swimming a few times a week because I saw its benefits on my friend Jacob. He's an MD/PhD candidate in my research lab at UCLA and I could see the impact a quick swim had on his work, his mind, and his physical health. The difference between us though was that he was on the triathlon team, and I didn't swim in high school or college. In fact, I sucked so badly in the beginning that I couldn't even make it 50m before panting and getting light-headed.
However, surviving getting my ass handed to me every time I swam was exactly what helped me become more resilient. I got used to the pain, and eventually began to enjoy it because I could see that it was making me better. I was getting faster every month, and I could swim further and further without having to grasp the side of the pool for breath. Now I look forward to my swimming sessions as a cathartic time for me to unwind and think.
Through swimming, I've learned that persevering through pain unlocks its reward: improvement. So whether it's swimming, running, or an indoor activity like reading or writing, work on something hard and long enough so that it might also get a chance to work on you.