Everybody loves a great comeback story. The underdog who overcomes all odds. The former champ who comes back to regain the title. The team that everyone counted out but ended up shocking the world by winning the championship. Stories like these warm our hearts and inspire us to do great things. However, there is no comeback without first having a setback, and some of us have a hard time rebounding from the latter.
Have you ever failed at something? All of us have and I might lead the league in this. How about an epic fail?! One that hurts so much that you are embarrassed and just want to shut out the world. I’ve been there. Think back to how that made you feel. Did it make you hesitate to try again? If so, I want to encourage you to get back out there and give it another go. Take another shot because you just might make it.
I believe we were all created for a specific purpose and it’s our job to find it. We were put on earth at this specific time to impact those around us and depending on your calling, your platform may even have you impact millions more that you ever expected. It takes a lot of courage to persevere through adversity. Here are the 3 things you will go through when you find yourself bouncing back in your comeback story.
Risk Taking
This happens in the beginning. Taking a risk sometimes comes before the setback or it may be a risk you take after the setback happens. Taking a risk is not an easy decision. If it was it wouldn’t be a risk! Deciding to take the risk is a big deal and it takes a lot of courage. It’s not just about making the decision to take the risk. It’s about having the guts to make the decision and find out if the result was worth it.
When I made the decision to put my house on market and sell almost everything I owned back in 2006 to start a baseball company, some people thought I was cuckoo! It was a HUGE RISK, but I loaded up my truck, drove 2000 miles across country from Michigan to Arizona, and moved in with my mom to start Cactus Athletics. The process was hard, but now as I look back over the past 20 years of running this business it was one of the best decisions of my life.
“Everything you want is on the other side of fear.”– Jack Canfield
Refinement
This happens when you are in the midst of the setback. This is a difficult stage so be prepared to face some adversity. When silver is refined the heat is turned up to around 1800 degrees to remove the impurities that some refer to as “dross”. This process is done repeatedly and it has been said that the silversmith would know the silver was ready when he could see his image in what he was creating.
This time of refinement is an opportunity to figure out what you need to work on and improve at to overcome the adversity you are facing. Find out what is standing in your way in the path to success. I believe that every roadblock you run into is an opportunity to blaze a new path, and trailblazers are world changers!
“Our greatest glory is not in never failing, but in rising every time we fail.”- Nelson Mandela
Resiliency
This happens towards the end of the setback when you recover and bounce back into shape. This is the stage where we learn to problem solve. We learn new ways to overcome the adversity we are facing. Every no in the present is an opportunity for a yes in the future. When we get knocked down to the canvas, we get back up even when people are saying to stay down. We fight as hard as we can and believe that if this is truly our calling, we will reach out goal.
An interesting fact is that when you bounce a rubber ball it changes shape when it hits the ground. Upon impact the energy of the falling ball causes the rubber to compress, flattening the bottom and deforming the ball. Due to its elastic nature, the ball snaps back into its original shape which generates the upward force that causes the ball to bounce. The harder you bounce the ball, the higher it goes. Bounce hard my friends and soar high. We only get to do this thing called life once.
“It’s not whether you get knocked down, it’s whether you get back up.”– Vince Lombardi
My most recent book TODAY tells the story of how I started Cactus Athletics and my career as a professional baseball coach through 2024. It also gives you a blueprint on how you can achieve your goals and has life application points and study questions at the end of each chapter. This book was a labor of love for me, and I believe it will encourage millions of people in the future. CLICK HERE to get your own copy and please forward the link on to a friend.
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