“Success is not final; failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue the counts.” – Winston S. Churchill

Resilience is the most important skill every entrepreneur can cultivate. 

Whether you’re running a multi-billion dollar company or just getting started on your business plan, resilience is necessary. There are so many ways to be discouraged when working on a project. There are people who won’t be able to see the vision and will wonder why you are even putting your energy into this passion. Once you start, there will be people who aren’t interested in the product or service you offer. And even when you do find that success, there will be the question of whether or not you can sustain and continue to offer something people find useful. 

That isn’t even to mention all the internal doubts and insecurities we carry around with us. This road is a bumpy one.

What separates the ones that keep going from the ones that quit?

For clarity, sometimes quitting is necessary. But that is an entirely different article. Knowing yourself and having self awareness is a major key. After a success or a failure it’s great to take stock and examine where you are and what’s next for you and your career. 

But these decisions can’t be based on fear or doubt. And that’s what resilience is about. It’s that inner knowing that you are exactly where you are supposed to be and regardless of how you feel in this moment, you decided to keep going. 

Resilience is about courage. It’s about being afraid, doubting yourself, being uncertain of the result, and doing it anyway. 

It is important we remember resilience is a skill — it can be learned.

The LinkedIn article entitled, The 7 Key Skills of Resilient People by Leonie Hurrell, paints a great picture of what resilient people do on a daily basis. And each and every skill listed can be practiced. Every project you work on, every situation you find yourself in, is an opportunity to be resilient. It’s an opportunity to exercise courage. 

Nothing about being an entrepreneur is easy. If you are going to succeed, and keep succeeding, it is going to require you to keep going — even when it’s uncomfortable. 

It’s resilience or bust.