Resilience: More than just a word to Florida
Florida is thriving! As a Florida motivational resilience speaker, I have to tell you how proud I was of my home state after reading this recent special report from the Florida Department of Financial Services.
The section on “Gross Domestic Product (GDP) Top 10 Industries USA” underscored how dynamic our state performed during the brutal economic times right before, during, and after the COVID-19 pandemic. The numbers don’t lie. Floridians from all points-of-view and in all industries came together to lead the nation in so many categories.
Remarkable success
Florida’s determination and resilience demonstrated itself across a wide range of industries. To relate just a few examples, regarding the overall growth rate:
Construction was at 9.6 percent versus nationwide at 6.3 percent; manufacturing at 6.4 percent versus nationwide at 3.2 percent; retail at 5.7 percent versus 4.8 percent; professional services at 6.1 percent versus 4.8 percent, and my favorite: arts, hotels, restaurants and entertainment at 4 percent, while the rest of the nation was at 3.4 percent.
What accounts for the success and Florida’s growth? Again, it is Florida’s resilience.
Obviously, as a Florida motivational resilience speaker and not a spokesperson for the department of tourism, I am much more interested in the factors that motivated the industries and companies in our state to prosper. Some point to politics, but I refuse to believe that. Because, ultimately, it is people who make things happen.
We are nothing without each other
What Floridians who banded together discovered, is what each one of us in our daily work lives must also discover: to be truly resilient, we must understand that we are nothing without each other. When we rely on each other; when we believe in our teams and in one another’s abilities, it enables us to be more resilient and to tackle problems together.
From the start of the darkest hours of lockdowns and economic challenges, Floridians were determined to be resilient to whatever COVID-19 presented. Soon, however, it was not just about the virus, but a collective mindset. The mindset saw Florida—then and now—to be greater collectively than anyone had imagined.
To come together in this way conveyed a shared vision that, as long as Floridians remained positive about our future and resilient to anything that stands in our way, we will have the courage to succeed.
I want to return to the word “determination” as it relates to resilience. Whether in a family business, a medical practice, a major hotel chain, or a sports team, determination (grit!) is a daily practice. We aren’t determined to succeed one day, and then drop our desire the next. Florida remains a resilient state, and together we are determined to succeed.
There are no secrets to Florida’s resilience besides the obvious: Floridians see success and go after it with courage. We have always been that way, and it is just one reason among many that I am so happy to call this beautiful state my home.
Scott Burrows, Florida Motivational Resilience Speaker. For more information, please contact Scott today or through this website or for more immediate attention at: 520 – 548 – 1169.