Just Keep Getting Up

As Australia’s Most Versatile Motivational Speaker I have learned quite a few lessons over the last 30 years about mindset, attitude, motivation and resilience.

I remember my first motivational presentation back in 1996. I was nervous and shaking at the knees. To be honest I bombed. Was a bust.

Well we all deal with some sort disappointment in different ways. Some cry, scream, a few get angry and many go into denial. And some of you could be like me and do all of the above.

Repressing your feelings is a recipe for disaster. Ignoring things or holding them in only makes you feel worse. And it often magnifies the issue so that you cannot deal with it reasonably.

Getting angry isn’t any better. Remember, anger is just one letter short of danger. You risk taking your anger out on someone who doesn’t deserve it, making things worse.

Pouting — feeling sorry for yourself — is probably the most common response. But it’s not the best way to deal with the situation. When you dwell on the negative aspects of a disappointing situation, you are blinded to the opportunities that could be staring you in the face.

I read in an article that “We can become much better leaders and professionals if we can get past our internal language and live in the present moment. The present offers us opportunities to learn, opportunities to teach, opportunities to reinforce positive behaviours in others, opportunities to see our world in new ways and opportunities to enjoy our day more fully.

This is what I know in my heart!

Life isn’t easy. With whatever skills, breaks, and accomplishments, there are still setbacks. No matter how gifted you are or how hard you work, something can still come along to knock you down. No matter how good the economy, how profitable your business, or how strong your portfolio, things can change drastically. One of the secrets to success in any field is persistence. When you hit a setback, keep trying. When something knocks you down, get up and run with the ball again.

We get knocked down, too, don’t we? And we usually get back up again—although generally not as often or as quickly as that punching bag did.

Some people seem to bounce back pretty well—others, not so much. Some of us can take 3 blows and some a 100. Some come right back while others take a little longer to recover. And there are those who never seem to bounce back.

Why is that?

Well, unlike the clown, we assign meaning to our challenges. We wonder why life should be so unfair as to deal us those heavy blows. We sometimes question whether we’re worthy of our dreams and aspirations. We wonder what we did wrong to deserve such hard times.

Certainly some of us seem more resilient than others. But I think the biggest reason has to do with the weight of our convictions and the gravity of our desire.

Much like the weight in the bottom of that clown punching bag, a strong why—a big enough reason—will always keep us bouncing back—no matter how hard or how many times we’re hit.

Rest assured, if you’re going after big goals, you WILL have challenges. You’re going to get knocked down. What’s important is that you bounce back.

And you can only bounce back if you—and your reasons for winning—are bigger than your challenges.

No one can be guaranteed an easy time. But if you want something badly enough, you will persevere, you will learn to dodge or absorb the punches. You’ll keep coming back—bouncing back—until you prevail.

If you’re discouraged, go back to your reasons. If they’re weighty enough, if they’re strong enough, you can take whatever gets thrown at you.

As a motivational speaker I try to keep getting up after rejections. Because if I stay down nothing good will happen or come my way!

Book me for your next motivational conference or event. info@ericbaileyglobal.com.au