People Who Bounce Back Up After Life Knocks Them Down Do These 6 Things To Recover
Delmaine Donson | Canva When life knocks you down, how good are you at getting back up and trying again? I believe the key to coming back from the big hits is resilience. And author, speaker, and resilience trainer Rodney Flowers is an expert at it.
Rodney Flowers has an inspiring story about the power of bouncing back, even when you aren't sure you can do it. Rodney is living proof that when you focus on your capabilities instead of your limitations, you can overcome and accomplish anything. His story confirms that even if our darkest fears come true, they can lead to silver linings.
At the age of 15, Rodney was a rising star on his high-school football team with his sights set on the NFL. Then, in an instant, his entire life changed. A career-ending injury in the first game of his sophomore year left him a quadriplegic with a 92-percent chance of remaining that way for the rest of his life.
After his diagnosis, Rodney remembers asking, “Why me? How can I live a productive life?” He spent the next couple of years in deep sorrow. But over time, he started asking another question: "Why am I sad?"
The answer was that, along with the injury, he lost his identity. His entire life revolved around football, and that life was gone.
Rodney found the key to bouncing back — resilience. He believes if you focus on what you can do instead of what you can’t do, you’ll be on the path to finding your resilience, too.
People who bounce back up after life knocks them down do these 6 things to recover:
1. Take time to recover
Before anything else, take care of yourself. Rodney sees this as a fundamental activity.
Take a break and let yourself heal. While losing in life can be painful, it also gives us a chance to learn and grow. By taking time to heal, you can reassess what’s important to you before you move on.
2. Change perception
To think about your next steps, you need to adjust how you perceive the situation. There will always be opposition and resistance in your life. We all have that in common. The difference is how you perceive and manage it.
Who are you going to be, despite the obstacles you face?
3. Recognize limitations
We all have limitations in life, some more than others. Don’t ignore your weaknesses — recognize them. Then, refuse to let them define you.
4. Focus on strengths
What are you good at? What do you love to do?
Your gifts and desires that motivate and renew your energy are your strengths. Shift your focus to your strengths, and you’ll be able to overcome your limitations.
5. Get real
In this process, it’s important to remain authentic. Don’t ignore what you need to work on. Once you know where you need to improve, you can take action. This is resilience at its deepest level.
Get back to the real you. Not the one your family, friends, or work created. Strip it all away and find out who you are.
6. Practice mindfulness
Your mind may seem full, but you’re rarely mindful.
Raise your awareness when it comes to what you think about. Then make an effort to focus on what builds you up. You can’t create a new vision if you’re looking at things the way you always have.
Rodney’s story is powerful. So is yours. With the right tools, you can find resilience and bounce back, no matter what life brings your way.
Hilary DeCesare is the Founder and CEO of The ReLaunch Co. She’s appeared on ABC’s The Secret Millionaire and on major news outlets such as CBS, ABC, Fox, and Huffington Post.
