The Beauty of Getting Knocked Down
The remarkable opportunity to get back up again!
For a large portion of my life I was a national competitive gymnast and athlete. Like anything, it shaped my soul in both positive and challenging ways. Positives: time management, dedication, grit, and determination. Challenges; perfectionism and an inability to sit still.
Most importantly, being an athlete taught me resilience and how to take 100% responsibility for my actions. The main difference between getting knocked down as an athlete vs. in the professional sphere was the physical reality of a set-back: falling off the beam during a competition, going out of bounds on a floor routine, or not sticking a dismount on the uneven bars or vault. Similarly as a cross-country runner it’s quite obvious when you don’t get first place or improve on your time on the same course. Whereas the real world application of getting knocked down is often more intangible: such as economic turmoil, environmental distress, emotional discomfort, or inner uncertainty.
One of the core defining qualities of a seasoned and successful entrepreneur is insatiable hunger. Bill Gross, the most successful unicorn founder of all time, highlights the importance of persistence as a key to startup success. No matter what is going on in a CEO or founder’s world (externally or most often internally) you must push on, even through what feels like hell.
Resilience is one of the most unique qualities of humans. Time and time again, we as a civilization get knocked down but continually get back up again (as Chumbawamba brilliantly highlighted). But how do you ignite that fire inside when you feel physically drained or are not in an emotional peak state?
Our partner Tony Robbins refers to a challenge as an opportunity and also suggests that if it’s truly a soul-defining moment, then he calls it a “worthy opponent”. Often playfully “Ah, a worthy opponent. I’ve been waiting for you”.
My sister, a badass NYC hedge fund partner, said to me the other day “You’re not given anything in this life you can’t handle”.
So, are you ready for some tough love about what to do when you’ve “fallen down” or hit a serious roadblock in life? Get back up, no matter what, and press on.
Trust that all the resources you need are already within you now and if you can’t find the strength physically or emotionally, just get back up (crawl, walk or whatever you can manage — just keep moving forward). Change the words you’re using to describe the opportunity, move your body, and redirect what you’re focusing on. Change to a solution-oriented or growth mindset, rather than focusing on the problem (why me, why now, blame, other de-energizing thoughts), and remember the cure-all antidote to fear or anxiety is gratitude. What can you focus on right now in this moment that you’re grateful for, to regain the strength to keep moving forward no matter what?
When things get hard we often look to someone or something to blame. But as Rocky tells his son, “[you can’t point] fingers, saying you’re not where you want to be because of him or her or anybody. Cowards do that and that ain’t you”. Wise words. He also says “if you know what you’re worth now go out and get what you’re worth. But you gotta be willing to take the hits”. Nothing hits as hard as life. But what an incredible gift to be alive and actively participating in the world or arena, challenging yourself to level up to an even deeper, more indestructible self.
There will of course always be folks taking the path of least resistance, especially in times of strife or discomfort, but these are the moments to be the model and not the warning. Don’t follow the momentum of the complacent or uncertain. Channel your inner strength to demonstrate what it truly means to be a leader, showing resilience and an insatiable hunger for your mission. If the only thing that lasts is what you give and who you become, give your all all the time. Get back up time and time again. Life is too short not to.
Prime Movers Lab invests in breakthrough scientific startups founded by Prime Movers, the inventors who transform billions of lives. We invest in companies reinventing energy, transportation, infrastructure, manufacturing, human augmentation, and agriculture.
Sign up here if you are not already subscribed to our blog.
