Mount Vernon High School

Be Bouncebackable On November 4th, 2016, Golden State Warrior guard Steph Curry - maybe the greatest shooter in NBA history - couldn’t buy a basket. Despite his best effort, Curry shot and missed. Again. And again. And again. In his team’s 117-97 blowout loss to the Los Angeles Lakers, Curry finished 0-10 from 3-point range - the worst performance of his career. It snapped his NBA record streak of consecutive games played with at least one 3-pointer at an astonishing 157 straight. So how did he respond to his historically bad shooting performance? In his very next game - three nights later against the New Orleans Pelicans - Curry came out cooking. He confidently poured in one 3-pointer after another. One from the left side. Another from the right. He pulled up off the dribble. He stepped back over defenders. The crowd went crazy with each ensuing attempt. Bang. Bang. Bang. Steph Curry was hot - hotter, in fact, than he’d ever been - and the result was once again historic. This time, he finished the game with 46 points, including an NBA record 13 3-pointers. His new streak of consecutive games with at least one 3-pointer was off to an impressive start. On its own, Curry’s record-breaking 3-point performance that night highlights his incredible shooting ability. Elite performers like Steph Curry have devoted countless hours to working on their craft and sharpening their skill. But in the context of the entire story - when you consider that the most prolific shooting night in NBA history came on the heels of his worst performance ever - then you move beyond just the obvious shooting ability that Steph Curry possesses, and into the winning mindset that really makes him special. It’s a mindset that separates the very best from everyone else, and a mindset that each of us can learn from here today. Elite performers in sports or in any other area of life have developed a high level of what I’ll call bouncebackability. When they experience failures, setbacks, or adversity, they are unique and set apart in their ability to pick themselves up, dust themselves off, and step back in the arena to compete again - this time with something to prove. They accept that challenges are an inevitable part of any meaningful pursuit, and they recognize that what happened to them in the past isn’t nearly as important as how they choose to respond moving forward. The good news for each of us here today is that bouncebackability isn’t a quality that some people magically possess and others unfortunately don’t. It’s actually a skill that can be strengthened and developed through training and practice. Becoming bouncebackable isn’t easy, of course. It requires some hard work from us. It starts with cultivating our ability to reframe a poor past performance. When we fall short of expectations or don’t meet our standard or expectation, it can easily create frustration or disappointment. I’m sure Steph Curry was disappointed or frustrated after his 0-10 performance, but he didn’t allow himself to stay there. Instead, he reframed his failure. He turned his frustration into motivation. He took something negative and used it to create something positive. In our moments of failure, each one of us is capable of doing the same. Reframing your past is important because it allows you to play fully in the present. Being your best - right here and right now, even in the face of your previous failure - requires some confidence and belief. Your inner loser will probably be working hard to remind you of your previous failure and the threat it poses for today, so you’ll have to work hard to tune out that negativity. Instead, listen for and amplify the voice of your inner champion. That voice clarifies that it’s time to step back in the arena and compete - this time with something to prove. It clarifies that challenges are an inevitable part of any meaningful pursuit, and that what happened to you in the past isn’t nearly as important as how you choose to respond moving forward. Reframing the past and playing fully in the present helps you clarify a vision for the future. The author Napoleon Hill famously said, “Whatever the mind can conceive and believe, it can achieve.” That’s true. Future success starts in our mind. I’m not sure Steph Curry was anticipating that he’d make more 3-pointers that night than anyone in NBA history, but I also bet he wasn’t all that surprised when it happened. Without conceiving and believing, there is no achieving. It’s not easy, but the more you work to build that mindset as part of your character and identity, the better at it you become. Steph Curry provides a great example for any of us who want to achieve something meaningful - historic, even - in the aftermath of a poor performance. So keep building your bouncebackability. That winning response to failures, setbacks, and adversity is proof that you are committed to doing what champions do, and evidence that you are in fact someone worthy of winning. -Travis