One of my oldest friends has raised horses since we were kids.
She’s fallen off more times than I can count.
I surprised her by showing up at her farm the other day. She came running out of the house, grinning from ear to ear—until she realized she’d forgotten to put her tooth in.
There was a huge gap right in the middle of her smile.
“Oh my goodness, what happened?” I asked.
“A horse kicked me in the face,” she said, nonchalantly.
I was horrified—imagining the pain, the shock, the impact.
“What did you do?”
Without missing a beat, she said:
“I got back on the horse.”
No drama. No self-pity. No question.
She just got back on.
And I haven’t stopped thinking about that moment.
What It Really Means to Bounce Back
Falling off track doesn’t always feel dramatic. Sometimes, it just feels like hesitation. A pause. A quiet moment where you tell yourself:
“I’ll get back to it tomorrow.”
And then tomorrow slips into next week.
We don’t just beat ourselves up—we start to feel a kind of fear.
The fear that maybe we’ve lost it.
The fear that returning will feel hard.
The fear that we’re not the person we thought we were.
But here’s the truth:
Everyone falls off.
The people who keep moving forward?
They don’t avoid failure.
They learn how to return—fast.
I call it your bounce-back rate: the time between falling off track and getting back in motion.
It’s what my friend did after a literal kick in the face.
And it’s what we all do—if we’re willing to get back on.
Sometimes, it’s immediate.
Sometimes, it takes a while.
Either way, the return is what matters, Reader.
You’ve probably felt it before:
- Blocking time for deep work—then watching it disappear under a flood of meetings
- Delegating well—until stress hits, and it just feels faster to do it yourself
- Prioritizing rest, reflection, or exercise—then letting it slide for “just one busy week” that turns into months
It’s not about never falling off.
It’s about how quickly—and courageously—you get back on the horse.
What the Science Tells Us
A fast bounce-back rate works—not because it’s impressive, but because it’s efficient.
🌀 Behavioral Momentum
The more often you act, the easier it is to keep going.
Small gaps are easy to bridge. Big ones feel like starting over—and starting over is hard.
🪞 Identity Reinforcement
Every fast reset says: “This is who I am.”
You’re not earning it back—you’re returning to it.
⚡ Lower Activation Energy
The longer you wait, the heavier it feels.
Quick restarts reduce friction. You’re still warm. You haven’t lost the thread.
📈 Progress Compounds
Short gaps keep momentum alive.
You don’t need a dramatic comeback—just a next step.
What This Looks Like in Leadership
Leaders with a high bounce-back rate:
- Miss a deadline? Prioritize the next most important task.
- Got tough feedback? Implement one improvement right away.
- Feeling off? Reset with a five-minute win to build momentum.
They don’t wait for the perfect moment.
They don’t overthink it.
They act.
Because they know:
Progress lives in motion—not in the waiting.
What This Looks Like in Teams
Teams fall off track too.
A painful layoff.
A project derailed.
A season of burnout that leaves people disengaged.
High bounce-back teams don’t gloss over the pain—but they don’t stall in it either.
They recover with clarity and care:
- 🧭 Reground in what still matters – What mission, values, or priorities are unchanged?
- 🔄 Reset expectations – What needs to shift—timelines, scope, roles?
- 📊 Make one meaningful move forward – A conversation, a replan, a signal of momentum
The goal isn’t to bounce back instantly.
It’s to stay anchored to purpose, support each other, and move forward—on purpose.
Imagine what would be possible if your team knew exactly how to recover—together, consistently, and without second-guessing themselves.
My Bounce-Back Moment
Writing this made me realize: I’d fallen off track, too.
I used to be religious about my yoga practice. It grounded me, cleared my head, and gave me energy.
Then life happened. One missed class turned into many. Months went by.
And the longer I waited to come back, the harder it felt.
That’s the tricky thing about returning:
The longer you stall, the more you start to believe it’s no longer who you are.
But it is.
Was it easy? Decidedly not.
Was it worth it? Absolutely.
I’m still sore. But I’m also clear: the longer I wait, the harder it gets.
That’s why I’m building a bounce-back plan—so the next return isn’t quite so painful.
Your Experiment: Build a Bounce-Back Plan
Falling off track isn’t the problem.
Not knowing how to get back is.
Here’s a simple 4-step way to recover faster the next time life throws you off rhythm:
1️⃣ Pick a Spot Where You Tend to Slip
Think of one habit, routine, or rhythm that quietly unravels when you’re stressed or stretched too thin.
Where do you say:
“I was doing so well with that…”
That’s your spot.
Examples:
- Giving feedback in the moment (but you let it slide)
- Blocking time for deep work (but meetings creep back in)
- Delegating well (but you take it back when deadlines loom)
- Moving your body or protecting sleep (but everything else gets priority)
2️⃣ Define What “Off Track” Looks Like
What’s the earliest sign you’re drifting?
“I stop blocking time for strategy.”
“I start saying yes to things I should delegate.”
“I skip yoga because it’s ‘just this week.’”
Catch the drift—not just the crash.
3️⃣ Choose One Quick Reset
What’s one small action that helps you re-engage—without overthinking it?
This isn’t a comeback story. It’s a re-entry point.
Examples:
- Set a 5-minute timer and tackle a single task
- Reopen the doc you’ve been avoiding
- Block 30 minutes for deep work
- Slack a teammate you’ve lost momentum with
- Say “I’m resetting”—and take the next step
- Or like me: schedule the class
The best move is the one that gets you moving again.
4️⃣ Make the Return Familiar
Don’t just plan your reset—mentally rehearse it.
What will it feel like to notice you’re off track?
What will you tell yourself in that moment?
What’s the tiny signal that says: “I’m back.”
You’re not just building a plan.
You’re building a reflex.
This isn’t about discipline.
It’s about removing friction from the return.
The Bottom Line
Everyone falls off.
But what defines you isn’t how long you stay on track—
It’s how confidently you get back in the saddle.
So the next time you stall, slip, or hesitate?
No shame.
No stalling.
Just grab the reins—and go.
Giddy Up! 🤠
👉 Know someone who’s been stuck longer than they need to be?
Forward this. It might be the nudge they need.
