6 Tools to Develop Perseverance

The life of a stylist is a rollercoaster ride. There are days that you have awesome customers and great camaraderie with your salon team, and there are days when one challenging interaction can make it tough to smile. Some mornings you’ll jump out of bed, ready to make customers look and feel their best, and some evenings you’ll drive home with tired legs and achy feet, wishing someone would take care of you.

What sets apart the good stylists from the great ones? We’ll give you a hint. It starts with “p.”

No, it’s not perfection or perkiness. It’s not pride. Nope, it’s not peace either. It’s perseverance. It’s getting back up on the horse, even after you’ve been tossed off a few times.

Salons showed incredible perseverance throughout the COVID pandemic. From finding clever (and compliant) ways to service customers during the shutdowns, to adapting offerings to include at-home hair kits and virtual consultations, the hair industry worked hard, persevering to keep their businesses afloat.

Since then, the industry’s comeback story has been fueled by stylists who persevere. They are excited about serving and inspiring customers, exploring new and exciting hair trends, pushing boundaries, and overcoming obstacles.

Perseverance is what distinguishes a great stylist from a good one.

Good stylists seek opportunities to learn. Great stylists take learning to a whole new level by embracing the positive lessons and the hard-to-swallow ones, too. They show up again and again, ready to take on whatever the day may bring. They refuse to be defeated, and they are willing to dig deeper than most, tapping into their inner strength to become the very best they can be.

How can you build your perseverance skills?

Here are six tips to help you develop your perseverance skills, so you can be equipped to thrive regardless of what life throws at you both in and out of the salon:

1. Focus on what you can control.

   When times are tough, it can be easy to feel overwhelmed and even powerless. While you can’t control someone else’s actions, you can take charge of your own thoughts and behavior. Reclaim power by focusing on the things that are within your control, working to ensure your actions and thought life are aligned with your goals and moral compass.

2. Practice self-care.

   Perseverance requires strength and resilience, so protecting your mental and physical health is vital. Prioritize self-care activities such as exercise, meditation, eating healthy meals, spending time in nature, and connecting with friends and family. They can help you manage stress and achieve a sense of balance. (Pro tip: Wear good shoes! Your feet will thank you.)

3. Pursue a growth mindset.

   Adopting a growth mindset requires the belief that your skills and abilities can grow forever – because there’s no finish line. For growth-minded stylists, setbacks are opportunities to step up, and failures aren’t so scary. In fact, it’s often our biggest failures that teach us the most. When you’re able to face challenges, you build the muscles required for perseverance.  

4. Practice gratitude every day.

   What are you thankful for? Even on our toughest days, we can usually find something to be grateful for, whether it’s the sunshine, a latte, or the smile of a stranger. By taking time to appreciate all of the good around you, you can actively shift your thoughts from fear and scarcity to power and abundance, which will help you feel the hope and optimism needed to persevere, even when life is hard.

5. Complain less, solve more. Rather than dwelling on the problems that persist in your work life and personal life, focus on finding solutions. Be humble and curious as you explore difficult situations and be proactive in developing potential remedies or responses. Don’t be afraid to experiment. Celebrate the solutions that work and try again if they don’t.
6. Maintain a positive outlook.

   Try to reframe negative thoughts into positive ones. People who persevere can see the lessons learned from hard experiences, so try to think about how you will be better equipped to lead others with compassion. If you can, try to surround yourself with positive people and seek out sources of inspiration and encouragement from quotes, music, podcasts, etc. to help you stay motivated and resilient.

Being a great stylist requires more than technical skills. It takes grit to show up every day and be ready to take on whatever challenges come your way in the salon.

If you take the time to focus on even one of these six tips, you’ll be a step closer to developing the perseverance it takes to achieve progress toward your goals and dreams under any circumstances – no matter what.