I pull out my planner to write in the appointments I have for the next couple of weeks and notice that I haven’t torn the corners of each page as the days pass.  I really don’t like tearing up my books but as I read the words written on each corner, I suddenly had a thought.  “These words are empowering, provocative, and something to write about.”

So, I quickly separated the corners of these past days.  Can you believe that we’re already one month into this New Year?  I took my little pile of corners and shook them up in the palm of my hands and walked into the living room where my husband was catching up on the news.  At the break, I held my hands out and asked him to draw one piece of paper and to read the first word that he saw.  He playfully read “Resilience!” and then looked at me a bit perplexed to ask what I was going to do with it.  I think he was pleased to learn that he helped me figure out what I was to write about this week.

Resilience - what does it mean?

re·sil·ience
rəˈzilyəns/
noun

1. the capacity to recover quickly from difficulties; toughness.
"the often remarkable resilience of so many British institutions"

2. the ability of a substance or object to spring back into shape; elasticity.
"nylon is excellent in wearability and resilience"

My first pondering thought was that of a spider’s web.  It’s fragile, yet resilient.  We humans most often destroy them as soon as we see them, or, run for the hills.  And yet we “feel” the web encasing us, wrapping around us even if it never touches us.  But have you stopped to observe other bits of nature captured in a web?  I’m always fascinated when the insect suspended within the spider’s fine silk is larger than the spider itself.  How can it be? Why doesn’t the web break or, the entrapped break free?  The spider’s web is fine, but resilient, drawing strength in the weave.

We sometimes find ourselves suspended in the fine silk strands of life, yet we imagine those strands as ropes or chains dragging us down.  I choose to view them as temporary constraints that allow me to slow down, to reevaluate, to redirect my efforts.  I believe that extraction is possible when we don’t give in completely to the fear that will keep us trapped forever. Acknowledge the fear but move forward after evaluating the situation.  What physical reaction will produce the effect needed to release the chains?  Resilience begins with you.

As a business owner, are you struggling to release yourself from a web of constraint?  Do you feel that you are encased in ropes and chains that keep you from moving forward?  Ask yourself:

What can I delegate?

Can I take back 1 hour a day or per week to allow someone else to make calls on my behalf?

What would I do with that hour?

What is my time worth?

Consider delegating:  phone calls, calendar management/appointment scheduling, presentations, letter writing, travel arrangements, database management, social media management, and resume writing as a start.

As a Virtual Assistant, it is my job to assist you in being the best you can be.  To assist you in moving beyond the “the web” to achieve your goals.  To give you back the time that you lose entrapped by constraints that you actually have control to break free.  

What would you do with an hour or more of free time?  If you know, or want to find out, schedule some time to talk with me.