Everyone has lessons they can teach us about success, and that’s just as true for kids as it is adults. I recently spoke to Damali Elliott, the founder and Chief Dream Builder of Petals-n-Belles, an organization based in New York City that empowers disadvantaged girls through creative workshops, real-world experiences and academic coaching. I love something Elliott said about her girls that I think is true for all of us. Resilience is something they all have even if they don’t know it.
Related: The 5 Magical Benefits of Resilience
So, how do we access that resilient part of ourselves and get rid of the learned helplessness that’s holding us back? Elliott does it by taking lessons from the girls around her, and we can too.
Petals-n-Belles hand picks girls who need to be shown there’s a better life out there waiting for them, then provides mentors, opportunities and athletic events — I love that, and I’m hoping to welcome some of them as Spartans — to help reset their expectations and succeed in life. Right now Elliott has 68 girls in various phases of the program, and they keep coming back, often to mentor the younger girls. You know you’re a success when you see a girl who once didn’t even have a place to call home coming back to visit from college.
So what can we learn from Elliott’s experience? There’s a lot of great stuff here:
1. Tell a new story.
In order to let go of the past you need to create a fresh way of seeing the world. My friend Dr. Johnny Waite says to change your behavior, you first need to change your belief.
2. Try again.
Elliott has had tough days and plenty of setbacks where she wanted to quit. But the reason her organization is a success is that she got back up and kept trying. I’ve had plenty of days when I wanted to quit, too. Elliott says when she has days like that, she looks at how her girls keep on going and thinks, how could she do any less?
3. Model the energy you want to see in the world.
The girls have a positive, infectious energy that can transform a room. No matter what is going on at the time, when Elliott walks into a meeting, she leaves all the negatives behind and brings positive energy with her.
4. Battle resistance with gratitude.
There’s always going to be resistance in anything you want to do in life. Seeing how grateful the girls are for their opportunities reminds us that the best motivation is to ignore barriers and be grateful for everything we’ve been given to overcome obstacles.
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