Learning to Bounce Back

A few people I follow seem to have it all together. Life with purpose, focus, and a drive that appears not to quit. I admire some of them with all my energy, and others I’m surprised they seem to be doing so well.

On the surface, they are what many of us want. Underneath? They are no different than anyone else. Good days. Bad days. Up moments followed by the bottom dropping out of their world. Frustrations found next door to belly laughs.

In my final analysis, their ability to bounce back seems to be going for them.

For a few minutes this morning, I’m thinking about public figures everywhere and wondering how they have the energy to bounce back into their roles with aplomb. Their worlds must be special, unique, and their personalities must be boundless puddles of energy. Right?

How Do They Do It?

Pick on a favorite actor. You only know their screen persona, right? But they are acting for that moment you view them. They are doing their J-O-B! You don’t know what acting does to their psyche. How do they bounce back after a lifetime of performing for the moment? What’s the person like when you pull back the onion skins of their life?

Any other public figure? It’s the same thing. They put on their disguise for the cameras and remove them when the director’s words are spoken, “And we’re out. Back in 90 seconds.” Politicians. Talk show hosts. Podcasters. Social Media Influencers. You name them by position or name – they all “turn it on” for the performance of a lifetime.

But you don’t know them.

We’ve all found a set of newsreaders/reporters throughout life whom we enjoyed connecting through their public presentations. I couldn’t imagine the news without them being the personality to report it. Then their circle started changing. Health issues flared. Death. Retirement. Change of perspective. Time to move on. Contracts not renewed. Fired!

Walter Cronkite. Eric Sevareid.
Ron Stone. Dave Ward. Sid Lasher!
Dan Lewis with Katy Gertsen and Steve Pool.

We’re left scrambling to find new voices.

We’ve noted the performance of those who live their lives in the public eye through the years. We may know their background, but who are they when the cameras stop? That’s what most of us don’t know anything about. Except for the privileged few who get to see behind the curtains, most of us only know their screen performance.

This is the truth about authors, poets, scientists, teachers, and another vast laundry list of people affecting our lives. Think about the NFL, which is full of people giving their all in their few minutes of fame. Tattered and worn, they spend a week of recovery before doing it again.

I’ve often called it the Back Story. The world behind the persona. Who are they “really”? How do they come alive for the times we need them, and how do they seem to bounce back in the face of a scary world.

That’s where the real story lies. And we all have this storied part of our lives that we need to talk about.

The Real Story

Super people are superior, right??!?! Reality check. There are no superheroes in our practical world. We may have superpowers that can make a difference in certain situations, but we cannot do it all the time, every day, and every moment.

Every time we use our powers, we have learned what it takes to bounce back. Regenerate. Recover. Restore. Along with all the other “R” words that make up R&R, we learn what it takes to get our mojo back to peak performance.

I’ve researched those Rich and Famous in the world I live in and wonder about their success. Some were born the same year I was – Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, Kevin Costner. The closer I got to their inner identity, I realized I probably would not enjoy being around them very long. That successful business person – it’s a cutthroat business model that does not fit my personality very well. I’m not a shark! Nor do I enjoy saying, “You’re Fired!” To move in this world requires a different skill set than I’m interested in developing! To be defined as the richest and best of us? No way!

How did they get like that? Why did they stay? How do these type of people restore their inner calm?

Routines That Strengthen

After a busy day with people, I need the downtime of a long quiet ride to my domicile. No noise, and I prefer no traffic distractions. Restoring my personal space is crucial; otherwise, I will not be effective tomorrow.

Where I used to get up early and grab both the delivered papers and consume them before leaving for work, I’ve had to alter my mornings when the newspapers could not show up early enough. When 4:30 a.m. became 6 a.m., it was time to reinvent my mornings! Unsubscribe, I did!

Could I find a new way to start my day? Done! The key? Adaptability. As the world changes around us, we must constantly adapt to the conditions of the times.

Did I tell you that my mornings need to be quiet? No noise, voices that bring the rabble to the forefront. When I’m traveling, I will typically sit in the corner of the hotel breakfast area, and generally, I’ll have my Bose headset on, then work hard on drowning out all the distractions.

This Is Key!

Some years ago, I prayed for a daily fresh Word from God. Maybe it’s a vocabulary word I wake up with, or it’s from something I’ve been mulling over in my subconscious that pops to the surface. Since my access to words is vast, I’m never at a loss to think through some thought I know comes from my Lord.

I enter my morning routine with purpose. It includes a daily dose of Writing: blogs, emails, sermons, and lessons, and even updating my schedule and to-do list. Always on my computer(s). Why do I not write much with a pen? I’m faster on a keyboard, and you don’t want to see my Writing after about 10 minutes of jotting on paper. Beautiful penmanship to begin with, and then my mind outstrips my writing speed, and my fingers cannot keep up. Sloppy, sloppy, sloppy!

Whereas some can start their morning looking like they are ready to face an adoring public, I need my quiet time and “who cares what I look like” a couple of hours—no phones, music, or voices clambering for my attention.

Here’s the key for me: Distractions create destructions to my routine!

Bounce Back…Quickly!

Look at the stories of those we see who bounce back so easily. Quickly. Moses. Joseph. Job. In captivity, the sons of Judah (Praisers), Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah (Daniel 1:6) faced some horrific challenges.

Think of Paul and Silas, missionaries entering the biggest challenge the early church faced. They are charged, beaten, and tossed into the “inner prison,” the deepest dungeon. What do you do? At midnight, they prayed and sang praises to God. (Acts 16:25)

You cannot keep them down, quieted, hushed, or hidden. When most would love to moan and groan, these two felt the presence of God as they prayed and sang! Miracles happened! An earthquake shakes the foundations and every prisoner is freed! The jailer felt he would pay the ultimate consequence so was willing to take his own life! Paul speaks out.

But Paul called with a loud voice, saying, “Do yourself no harm, for we are all here.”
Then he [the jailer] called for a light, ran in, and fell down trembling before Paul and Silas.
And he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”
So they said, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.”
Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house.
And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their stripes.
And immediately he and all his family were baptized.
Now when he had brought them into his house, he set food before them;
and he rejoiced, having believed in God with all his household.
Acts 16:28-34 NKJV

It must have been the news of the hour! Earthquake! Prisoners escaped! But Paul and Silas did not flee. They Stayed! When the magistrates would release them, they insisted they come and do the deed themselves. We will not go quietly into the night!

There’s something about standing up to a challenge when the world is collapsing around you.

That’s how you Bounce Back!