3 Ways to Become a Resilient Entrepreneur We've all heard the phrase 'business is a marathon, not a sprint'. The trouble with marathons is that they require a lot of resilience. Every day you need to get up and face numerous challenges. Here's how you can keep your head in the game – even when all you want to do is quit.

On Monday you wake up ready to take on the world. You're focused, determined and business is doing well.

Tuesday feels like you're invincible and things could not be going any better. Wednesday, your world collapses. You doubt your ability to deliver to your clients.

You wonder whether you should still pursue the same business. You think that quitting at this stage is easier than dealing with the ups and downs of entrepreneurship.

And you are dramatically reminded that entrepreneurship is hard. Mix in human nature and it becomes borderline insanity to try and build a business.

And yet, the reward is worth it. I therefore want to share three strategies that might help you cope with this tough but deeply rewarding pursuit.

INFLUENCE AND CONTROL

Most of the things in business and life are out of our control. You cannot control how other people react to your service or product.

You cannot control how your employees will show up. You cannot control how the market will react and how that will affect your business.

This makes it very important to control what you can and then influence the rest to the best of your ability. So, what can you control?

You can control your actions, reactions and perceptions of the challenges you face. Meaning essentially, that you can control yourself and your efforts. Do this with excellence and you will automatically influence the people around you and the situations you find yourself in.

OVERRIDE YOUR MOODS

If we only did the hard work when we felt like it, we would hardly get anything done. Our moods fluctuate like the tides of the ocean.

Not because we are temperamental but because the external world has a profound impact on us. When you wake up to news that the economy is in recession, it has the potential to plant seeds of doubt in your mind.

When you receive an email from a disgruntled customer complaining about your service, it has the potential to ruin your day. The fact is that you can receive a hundred testimonials singing your praise, but you will obsess and become despondent over that one negative comment.

This means that we have to move beyond our emotions. Sure, they are important in the decision-making process and for fostering meaningful relationships.

But you cannot allow them to dictate when you will do work. In other words, work hard, irrespective of your moods, especially on the days when you don't feel like it.

CREATE A CALIBRATION PRACTICE

One of the best ways to deal with this rollercoaster effect is to create a daily calibration practice. I am a big fan of any action taken on a daily basis.

Not only because of the accumulation effect that occurs over time, but also because it keeps you focused. So, what does a daily calibration practice look like?

It differs for everyone. It could range from meditation to a vision board to journaling to listening to a specific playlist of songs. My suggestion is that you give journaling a go.

Because it's sometimes difficult to start a new calibration practice, I have included my journaling template for you.

It's called "J1G' (pronounced as jig). I use Evernote or a notebook from HumanWrites for journaling purposes.

J: JOURNAL

For the first few minutes, simply allow your hand to run across the paper. The idea is for you to dump as many of your thoughts onto the paper as possible.

Some questions you can answer in this section are:

• What am I currently excited about?
• What am I currently worried about?
• Where am I currently winning?
• What can I learn from what happened yesterday?

1: THE ONE THING THAT YOU WANT TO GET DONE TODAY

In this time, I usually have a look at my to-do list and decide which one action I want to get done today. Write it down and then expand on why it is the most important action. How will it move you or your business forward?

G: GRATITUDE

In the last section, you simply write down three things that you are grateful for. Trust me, this is an important daily practice, but even more so on the days when you feel as if life is beating you down.

When you focus on the things that you are grateful for, you crowd out fear and shift your state of mind to a more positive and productive one.

THE PUNCH LINE

If you can stick to the three ideas I outlined above, I guarantee you will develop more resilience and perseverance. You are an entrepreneur because you chose to be one.

Do not allow life to impose its will on you. I have no doubt that you will be better off because of all the challenges you face. Not in spite of them.