Thriving During Tough Times - 7 Rituals For Thriving Success

When times get tough, many people are tempted to withdraw, cut their loses, and wait things out. In some ways this can be a valid strategy. However, you must also pursue a path of growth if you are going to survive and thrive during these tough times.

"One can choose to go backward toward safety or forward toward growth. Growth must be chosen again and again; fear must be overcome again and again."
-- Abraham Maslow

We must develop positive rituals and routines that support resiliency during these tough times. The tough times are going to throw punches your way and the rituals and routines that supported you during booming times may not be enough to provide you the resilience necessary to chose growth and overcome fear day after day during tough times.

Resilience is defined as the ability to recover quickly from depression, illness, or misfortune. The key is to recover back to a more positive, productive, and effective state. Resilience is NOT just about enduring the misfortune.

Many people end up creating routines and rituals (smoking, drinking, pessimism, etc.) that are not positive and don't allow them to recover to better states afterward. These routines and rituals might help you endure and survive tough times, but they will not allow you to thrive during tough times.

I recently had to survive and endure 45 straight days of challenging work in both my personal and professional life due to the several changes I initiated in order to deal with these tough times. I can honestly say that the last two weeks of those 45 days were extremely exhausting, frustrating, and unpleasant. I was able to meet the critical deadlines of the situation but it certainly took its toll.

As soon as my deadlines were met, I hit the wall. However, I was able to bounce back within 24 hours. I believe it is because I kept to most of my positive rituals and routines throughout six-plus weeks.

Here are the 6 positive rituals and routines that helped me most and 1 additional ritual and routine I lacked (which became readily apparent when I hit the wall).

1. Daily intention and visualization - Key goals or objectives for the next 90 days is critical in setting your daily course. These goals or objectives should be aligned with your core purpose in life and provide motivation and inspiration in the context of your current challenges. Take a few minutes to visualize the achievement of your goals and objectives and truly feel the feelings of peace, success, and progress on your journey.
2. Positive directive affirmations - Since growth must be chosen again and again each day, you should have directive affirmations to guide our growth. The directive affirmation should be reviewed several times throughout the day to guide the conscious and subconscious mind.
3. Daily stretching and exercise - Tough times means greater stress. No matter what we do for a living, this stress impacts our bodies. You should use daily stretching to release the stress and exercise to build and maintain endurance and capacity that supports you physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.
4. Three Powerful and/or Inspired Actions toward your goals and objectives - Positive action creates confidence, momentum, and progress for a brighter future. At the start of each day, take a few minutes to identify three powerful actions that will move you forward. Be open to other inspired actions during the course of the day but commit to three powerful and/or inspired actions getting completed each day!
5. Inspirational nutrition - The news and general economic climate are so filled with negatives information and stories these days that it is important to proactively seek out inspirational nutrition each day. Even if you just read something positive for 5 minutes each day, it will have a profound impact on your resilience.
6. A focus on gratitude and what's working - When you look for things to be grateful about, you can find them. When you focus on gratitude, it will expand in your life. Use triggers or anchors in your life to focus on the positive things around you. They are always there. If you need help finding them, read about the inspirational stories of Victor Frankl and Admiral Jim Stockdale to see how they were grateful in much worse situations!
7. Rest and recovery - Full engagement and sustained high performance can only be achieved through alternating periods of energy expenditure and energy recovery. Long periods of linear stress will gradually kill all living things. As Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz say, "We grow at all levels by expending energy beyond our normal limits and them recovering... Expanding capacity requires a willingness to endure short-term discomfort in the service of long-term reward."

Apply the above rituals for thriving success and watch your world change for the better as we endure these tough times. Just try NOT to go 45 straight days without significant rest and recovery, if at all possible!

Copyright 2009 Jon L. Iveson, Ph.D.

About the Author: Jon L. Iveson, Ph.D., The Champion's Coach, is a Gazelles Certified Coach who helps individuals and companies produce champion results and build champion relationships. Access Jon's FREE 21-page e-Book on "The 8 Steps to Thriving during Tough Times" and other valuable resources at http://www.ThrivingduringToughTimes.com