Bouncing Back
A super ball ... or raw egg?
“Do not allow setbacks to set you back.”
– Stacey Abrams
Bouncing Back
Chasing Influence: Transformational Coaching to Build Champions for Life
Bumps in the road will happen, how we respond is what’s most important. Navigating life teaches us valuable lessons - even when things aren’t going so well. Handling adversity, learning from mistakes, and bouncing back from a loss is hard. And necessary. And, although it may be easier to handle success, it still requires effort when we find ourselves on the winning side of life.
Here are some stories of successful individuals who faced rejection and failure before achieving their dreams - you may be familiar with some of these names. Abraham Lincoln ran for office seven times and was defeated each time. Walt Disney was told he had no talent as a cartoonist and ended up working in an old garage. Dr. Seuss had his first children's book rejected by 23 publishers before it became a bestseller. Babe Ruth struck out more than any player in baseball history. Michael Jordan felt unpopular in high school and took a cooking class, thinking he would never find a wife.
Their stories show us the power of believing in ourselves, being determined, working hard, and being resilient. Every day, we have the ability to determine how we respond to the challenges we face. In sports and life, how we handle adversity defines us.
Think about the difference between a superball and a raw egg. A superball bounces back when thrown against a wall, even harder when thrown harder. But a raw egg splatters and falls apart when thrown against a wall, especially if thrown harder.
These two types of people are called superball people and raw egg people. Raw egg people give up and fall apart when they face obstacles, while superball people bounce back even higher when faced with challenges.
Choose to be a superball person, not a raw egg person. With determination and resilience, we can all become superball people and bounce back from any obstacle.
“Success is how high you bounce when you hit bottom.”
– General George S. Patton
Connecting this quote to the story. The story gives examples of successful individuals who faced rejection and failure before achieving their dreams, showing it's not about how many times you fall, but how you get back up. Be like a superball and bounce back from any obstacle we face, no matter how hard we are thrown against it. This way, we can become resilient and successful individuals.
This week’s Chasing Influence tip: The only person who can make you quit is you. You can’t come back if you give up!
If you enjoyed this story, a series of three Chasing Influence workbooks is available. Stories are accompanied by discussion questions and answers. Each workbook contains 33 lessons to use with any team.
Updates on Chasing Influence
Chasing Influence: Transformational Coaching to Build Champions for Life is available in Kindle, softcover, hardcover, and audiobook editions.
For additional resources, links to podcast appearances, and other Chasing Influence news, click here.
©Troy Urdahl, 2024