Resilience can include humor.

If you've been around me for a minute, you know that resilience is one of the most essential mindset skills. The reason, of course, is that "stuff" happens, and our dog lives don't always go according to plan. And that means we have to be good at recovering so we can focus on what we have to do next.

Recover, refocus, reset - these are how we bounce back after a bad run, a rotten weekend, or even an injury. Since we can only compete effectively when fully in the present moment (hello, flow!), we need to quickly get our mindset back to the present. For that, we need practice.

The piece of resilience that people should talk more about is the need for humor or, at the very least, perspective. Sure, some things aren't immediately funny - I get that. But realizing that one mistake isn't the end of the world is a significant perspective shift.

Finding a new perspective when faced with injury or loss is harder (obviously) but no less important. Regardless, we have a few tools to use:

Your WHY (aka the reason you got into dog sports) usually helps you see the bigger picture and find the joy in the journey.

Seeing the setback as feedback reminds you to stay in a growth mindset.

Choosing to see the upside of the situation - what did you learn? What gifts came out of it? What feedback will you incorporate next time?

Shift into gratitude! Find the things in the setback you are thankful happened. 

And yes, if you can find humor in the situation (or whatever your favorite coping mechanism), use it! After all, some mistakes are funny.

If you want more on developing resilience as a skill, we cover it in this month's Q-Membership as one of 4 skills we all should master. The Q-Resilience Masterclass is also a great option.