Mastering The Bounce

For those of you that know "my story", you will probably understand how this article spoke to me.

Here's hoping you get something out of it...

Mastering The Bounce

“I’m going to give you a little advice… There’s a force in the universe that makes things happen. And all you have to do is get in touch with it, stop thinking, let things happen and be the ball.”

That was actually a quote from Ty Webb, played by Chevy Chase, in the movie Caddyshack. (I’ve always wanted to use a Caddyshack quote in one of my letters!)

This month’s SUCCESS is what we call our COMEBACKS issue, which features those companies, entrepreneurs and leaders who have experienced a bit of a fall from grace. When down and out, they could have easily stayed there, given up hope, given up on their dreams and given up on themselves, but they didn’t. Instead of collapsing, they bounced. And they came back stronger, better and and more equipped to achieve greatness than ever before.

That is why I want you to “be the ball.” In this metaphor, however, I want you to be the tennis ball. You see, life will smack you around like a tennis ball in a match point between Nadal and Federer.

To win in the game of life you will need to “be the ball” and learn The Bounce.

To bounce: To fall rapidly, hit bottom suddenly with impact and rebound decisively.

According to that definition, there are four distinct phases of The Bounce:

1. The Fall: We all experience falls in our lives. They don’t have to be as traumatic or as devastating as a bankrupcy, divorce, heart attack or life-threatening illness to be considered a fall. Each day we experience minor setbacks and little falls—in discipline or poor choices—that require us to bounce back. But there is a difference between falling and failing. The Bounce converts a fall into victory, and the harder you fall, the higher you can bounce.

2. The Impact: Making impact, hitting bottom, bends you out of shape; your identity—who you thought you were—is morphed and tested. Either you allow the impact to explode you, or you absorb it and use it to spring. Do not lament this phase. While it might be painful in the moment, most often it is the smack of the impact that musters the focus, energy and fight needed to become something you would have never driven yourself to be otherwise. The pain of the impact is what creates the energetic force to launch you in the opposite and positive direction.

“You may not realize it when it happens, but a kick in the teeth may be the best thing in the world for you.” —Walt Disney

3. Restoration: The moment when the ball starts to regain its shape… the moment when something inside you starts fighting back against the fall, against the impact. You realize your identity is not defined in the fall; it’s defined in your ability to rebound decisively and restore your identity and sense of purpose. You stop mourning where you once were and start focusing on where you are going.

4. Elevation: You rise again… and most often higher than you were before The Bounce. Most often it will be because of The Bounce that you are as high as you are today… and as you will reach in the future.

I encourage you to look at your own falls as an opportunity to bounce. Each time you slip and feel the wind of a fall, prepare yourself for impact and get ready to bounce—it might just be exactly what you need to take yourself to new heights.

Through it all… be the ball!

~b2