So What, Now What: How to Build Resilience for Your Comeback Story
So what, now what: your bounceback library.
“So what, now what?” has become the official mantra of our pandemic days. Sports psychologist Dr. Kevin Elko uses these words to train championship teams—a mode of self-talk that helps athletes quickly shake off setbacks and keep their head in the game. Throw an interception? So what, now what. Miss a shot? So what, now what. And let’s just say it, 2020 has been one big clusterf*ck, a slow-moving train wreck that requires a whole lot of resilience. And resilience doesn’t just mean bouncing back in the face of challenge and uncertainty; it also means crushing it under those conditions. Luckily for us, it’s a muscle we can build and flex. So here’s a bounceback library to build so you can get to training.
A winning mantra
This is the Nike podcast where we first heard Dr. Elko’s magic words. There is a lot in here (some of it feels a little “bumper sticker” but at least it’s easy to remember), so we gave it a couple listens. Winning self talk? Just do it.
Transition pro-tips
This book is a repeat recommendation, but it just feels so on point with where we are it warrants an honorable mention. Feiler’s assertion that life is anything but linear (as we expect) couldn’t be more obvious in our present moment. Reading the stories of so many people overcoming “lifequakes” is both inspiring and instructive.
Comeback story
It was just yesterday that quarterback Alex Smith stepped back on the football field after a gruesome leg injury in 2018 and over 17 surgeries (plus an infection that almost cost him his leg and his life). If you, too, saw him go down, you, too likely thought he would never play again. But now he’s got a comeback story we can all learn from, as we admire Smith’s unwavering belief that he would play again.
A resilience bible
Angela Duckworth has become the go-to grit expert—with great insight on why it is the biggest predictor of success. Simply put, grit is “the ability to persist in something you feel passionate about and persevere when you face obstacles.” And, get this: It can be taught. You can watch her TED talk, but her book is also worth the read.
Optimism, cultivated
We’ve been enjoying the entire “How to Build a Life” series, but this article in particular speaks loudly to our current moment. We are planners, with a capital P, so suffice to say our normal activities have been brought to a standstill. Our favorite piece of advice? “Turn constraints into decisions.” As in, with some simple reframing of limitations, we can still futurize.
Plug in positive
One of us was lucky enough to meet Cedric King in his early days at Walter Reed. Although he was coping with severe injuries that took both of his legs, he quickly won us over as hands-down the most positive person we’d ever met. So we were hardly surprised when we learned that he was already running triathlons and marathons. You can see his story here. May we suggest you bookmark it and hit “play” whenever you’re feeling down.
