My kids were cranking a little Eminem around the house this weekend and it got me thinking about the essence of resiliency.  “Lose Yourself” is the ultimate underdog’s anthem.  The message of struggle and redemption and rising to the occasion under pressure is timeless:

“You own it, you better never let it go
You only get one shot, do not miss your chance to blow
This opportunity comes once in a lifetime!”

Feel free to sing along with me!  Hello?

Anyway!  I agree wholeheartedly with the sentiment of the theme and applaud the passion.   We have all felt the adrenaline of the spotlight and the stomach-churning pressure to perform in the moment.  We all have the ability to step up to the challenge.  And what an incredible feeling when we stare down our fears and doubts and deliver the performance of a lifetime!  We own it!

If We Are Not Initially Successful, We Must Keep Fighting!

But Eminem is only partially right.  While there are certainly times when we have “one shot” to step up, more often than not, we have another opportunity to regroup and take a shot at the title.  Most moments in our life are not all or nothing.  In order to stay resilient in our work and personal lives, we must summon the courage to rise to the occasion the second time (or third time, or fourth time, etc!)  We will not be judged by how many times we fail.  Or how many “shots” we get.  But by often we step back up in the face of defeat and fight again!

Defeat Is Never Permanent

Success in our work lives in constantly evolving.  We may blow a big sale.  We may fail to secure a massive client.  We may go belly up in our business.  We may let our students down or lose a pivotal game.  This defeat is painful and lonely.  Especially when we have so much talent and promise.  But we cannot accept this defeat as permanent.

While we never want to take our losses lightly, we must fight to maintain proper perspective.  There will be other opportunities.  There is more than one large client out there.  We will get another shot at executing on a new business plan.  Our students always need further direction and we can hunker down and prepare for the next game.

Our Next Big Moment Is Out There

As resilient workers, we will make mistakes and we will stumble.  It may feel as though we have blown our one shot to make a difference in the world.  But we must summon the courage to prepare for our next big moment.  It is out there.  But if we spend all our time whining or feeling sorry for ourselves, we may not recognize when our next shot arrives.

The same is true in our personal lives.  We may break up with the “one” love of our life.  We may lose a significant investment that could have provided our “one shot” at financial freedom.  We may fail to secure our “dream” house.  In the moment, our passion is depleted and we may feel we will never get another chance at redemption.

Our Opportunities Are Endless

But there is more love to share if we can stay open and accepting to other people.  There are multiple investments to consider if we can once again trust our instincts.  There is more than “one house” that will make us happy for the rest of our lives.  As long as we stay positive, we will find our next opportunity.

The business of second chances is everybody’s business.– Greg Boyle

The spotlight is constantly shining.  And our adrenaline must always be flowing.   While we can “lose ourselves” in the moment, we cannot lose our passion to keep fighting.  We cannot lose our intensity to attack our dreams.

Our opportunities are endless.  Our capacity to love is boundless.  Our resilience is contagious.

Eminem was onto something.  But we have more than one shot at success and redemption.  As long as we do not give up, our shots will keep coming.

Until next week, lose yourself!