November 7, 2021

I don’t know about you, but I have suffered breaks in my stride many times throughout my life. I’ve been down, both fallen and kicked (for real). I have experienced set-backs and set-ups; I have smashed and slammed into brick walls. I have taken the proverbial walk of two steps forward and three steps back; in my professional life I have laddered up to both glass and concrete ceilings, leaving me feeling stuck, frustrated, and even sometimes like a failure.

I survived and so can you!

I am blessed to have bounce back ability. Each time I falter, I return swifter, stronger and wiser.

Blessings and burdens are not mutually exclusive… the struggle against an obstacle inevitably propels the fighter to a new level of functioning. –Ryan Holiday

Consider for a moment a rubber ball. Why does it bounce? [the scientific skinny version]

The ball is made up of elastic. Because of its elasticity it returns to its original shape after being compressed or stretched. The long molecular chains of rubber physically rotate around the chemical bonds that hold them together. When a ball falls to the ground, the work is done against the weight of it, storing potential gravitational energy that is released when it falls to the ground; the force of the gravity acting on the ball causes it to accelerate, converting the potential energy into kinetic energy. In short, when the balls hits a surface, the ground or a wall, the downward force and the upward force causes it to bounce back up.

BE A BALL.

1. Keep yourself together! The best way to return to your original shape after being stretched or compressed is to embrace the obstacle with optimism and persistence; the next way is without fear; the third way is to not feel sorry for yourself. 
2. Use the gravitational energy that you have stored up (for me it is my faith and trust in God) to release so you can stand against the weight of the issue, so that the downward force of your fall is met with the upward power of God to help you get back up.
3. Finally, to everything there is a season. Nothing lasts forever. Whatever trial you are experiencing is temporary. Develop your mental immunity by letting go of destructive emotions, to develop positive ones. This is the force that will allow you to accelerate and bounce back faster.

You are a work in progress, and you will be okay.