Lessons From A Doctor Turned Entrepreneur

By Steven Lee, managing director at STS Capital. Optometrist and principal inventor in 15+ patent grants. Pioneered online vision testing.

In today’s fast-paced business world, resilience is a critical factor for achieving success. The ability to bounce back from adversity and maintain a positive mindset is vital for personal and professional growth. While recent research has revealed intriguing potential connections between our genetics and resilience, our experiences and learned coping strategies also play an essential role. As a doctor turned entrepreneur, I’ve faced my share of challenges and have learned valuable lessons in building resilience. In this article, I’ll share my journey and offer tips for other leaders and entrepreneurs on developing resilience in their professional lives.

My Personal Journey With Building Resilience

Throughout my entrepreneurial career, I’ve encountered numerous obstacles, setbacks and disappointments. At times, it felt like the weight of the world was on my shoulders, but I’ve come to realize that these experiences were crucial for my personal and professional development. Over time, I’ve developed coping strategies and learned to embrace adversity, transforming it into opportunities for growth.

Tips For Building Resilience In Your Professional Life

1. Embrace a growth mindset: Developing a growth mindset means understanding that challenges and failures are opportunities to learn and improve. By focusing on progress and remaining open to learning from setbacks, you’ll become more adaptable and resilient in your professional journey. In my entrepreneurial journey, I faced a significant setback when we were nearly out of funding. Rather than succumbing to despair, I maintained a positive outlook, inspiring my team and presenting our vision confidently to potential investors. Despite the urgency, I avoided acting desperate and instead focused on authenticity and demonstrating resilience. By leveraging my professional network and staying positively persistent, I was able to secure the necessary funding to continue our operations. This experience underscored the importance of resilience, positivity and the power of a strong network in overcoming business challenges.

2. Develop a strong support network: Having a reliable support network of family, friends and mentors can help you navigate the ups and downs of entrepreneurship. These relationships provide encouragement, advice and a sense of perspective, allowing you to better handle adversity and maintain resilience. Leveraging relationships effectively in business requires a delicate balance of authenticity, respect and communication. First, be genuine in your interactions; people are more likely to assist those they perceive as authentic and sincere. Second, respect your contact’s time; when seeking advice or help, be concise, specific and to the point. Lastly, maintain regular communication but avoid over-communication. Reach out periodically with updates or thoughtful questions, but avoid bombarding contacts with constant requests. Remember, these relationships should be mutually beneficial, so look for ways you can offer value in return.

3. Practice mindfulness and stress management techniques: Incorporating mindfulness practices, such as meditation, deep breathing exercises or journaling, can help you stay centered and better cope with stress. I’ve found these techniques effective for improving focus, clarity and emotional stability so that I can bounce back from setbacks more easily.

4. Set realistic expectations and break down goals: By setting achievable goals and breaking them into smaller milestones, you’ll be able to track progress and maintain motivation. This approach can also help you adapt and recalibrate when you’re faced with challenges so you can stay resilient in your pursuit of success.

5. Reflect on past experiences and learn from failures: Regularly reflecting on your experiences, both positive and negative, can help you identify patterns, gain insights and develop better coping strategies. Entrepreneurs often look for patterns in their decision-making processes, customer behavior and market trends. Self-awareness is key; an understanding of one’s strengths and weaknesses can lead to more effective leadership and decision-making. For instance, I once noticed a tendency to avoid confrontational situations, which was impacting critical business negotiations. Recognizing this pattern, I worked on developing my negotiation and conflict-resolution skills. This self-awareness allowed me to turn a personal weakness into a strength, significantly improving my business interactions. Entrepreneurs should continuously self-reflect and seek feedback to identify such patterns and make the necessary adjustments. Embrace failure as a learning opportunity and use the lessons learned to make more informed decisions in the future.

Resilience is an invaluable trait for entrepreneurs and business leaders that allows us to navigate the complex, ever-changing landscape of the professional world. By understanding the role our experiences, mindset and coping strategies play in building resilience, we can better face adversity and thrive in our personal and professional lives. As you continue on your entrepreneurial journey, I encourage you to invest time and effort into developing your resilience by using the lessons I’ve shared as a starting point.

Remember that resilience is not a static trait; it’s something that can be cultivated and strengthened over time. Keep learning, growing and adapting, and you’ll be better equipped to overcome life’s challenges and achieve success.