The art of the comeback

This morning India lost the test series against Australia. 

For those that don’t follow cricket, here’s something interesting that you should know.

In the 5 match series, India won the first test by a margin and then some. They looked dominant and seemed to have set the tone for the rest of the series.

But Australia had other plans. They went on to win 3 of the remaining 4 tests to clinch the series 3-1.

I bring this up because I want to talk about the one thing the Australians are notorious for.

Making superhuman comebacks.

And this isn’t the first time They have done it time and again over the past few decades making it look almost effortless. 

But how is this relevant to your life? Because you have been there. 

We have all been there. Maybe you are there right now.

Nothing is going your way, your back is against the wall, and nobody believes in you,

Getting back up on your feet looks like the hardest thing to do. 

But as demonstrated by the Australians, it’s not luck. 

It is a skill, a form of art.

That can be mastered with practice.

If you are in an unfavourable situation right now, hear this. 

Most people wallow in self pity and wait for someone to come and save them. They wait for that bit of magic that will turn their lives around. 

Spoiler alert? No one is coming. 

If you wish to climb out, you need to create that magic for yourself. 

And so I attempt to breakdown for you, the art of the comeback, in hopes that you can take something from it and use it to turn even the most unfortunate situations on their head. 

What it needs

There are 3 things that are required to make comebacks. Anyone who came back from seemingly impossible situations knows how important they are.

And most people struggle with them. If you want to be one of the exceptional few who can work their way out of impossible situations, you have to understand these.

They are:

• Acceptance

• Accountability

• Action

1) Acceptance:

The first step, and perhaps the most important, is acceptance. 

Acceptance of your situation.

It means to realise that what has happened has happened and that there is nothing you can do to change it. 

The best explanation of the importance and power of acceptance I have read is by Marcus Aurelius. 

He says that in nature, there is no good or bad. All events are neutral. 

When the leaves fall, is it good or bad? When a lion eats it’s prey, is it good or bad?

It’s neither. It’s a neutral event. 

Similarly, the things that happen in our life aren’t inherently good or bad. They just happen as nature intended them to happen. 

We make our situation worse by adding layers of interpretation onto events. Thus it’s not the event or situation itself that’s hurting us, it’s our interpretation, 

So the thing to do, is to come to terms with reality, with the nature of things, and just accept them as they are. 

This reduces the brunt of your current situation. It doesn’t seem so daunting anymore. 

And most importantly, it clears your mind. If you keep on thinking about what happened, and how bad your situation is, you will never be able to focus your mind and energy on the things you need to do to get out of said situation. 

Hence the first step to making a comeback, is accepting your current situation, coming to terms with the fact that it cannot be changed, and then starting to focus on the next steps. 

2) Accountability

Taking accountability means to understand that you are responsible for your life and actions. 

The decisions you have made so far, have resulted in the life you have led. 

And the decisions you make from here on, will decide how your life plays out. 

People who aren’t accountable do two things:

1. They blame the bad things in their lives on someone else

2. They wait for others to help them do the good things 

Both are disastrous. 

To change your situation, you need to accept that the current situation happened because you messed up. 

And that you alone can change it.

I’ve said this before, most people think someone will come and save them.

No one will. You have to do it for yourself. 

Accountability is a double edged sword. One side says you alone are responsible for all the bad things that happened. 

But the other side says you alone have the power to do the good things that will change your life. 

One side is afflicting, but the other is empowering.

Choose empowerment.

Take control of your life.

3) Action:

The last piece of the comeback puzzle. 

Not acting on the possibility of a better life is in my eyes, one of the greatest sins you can commit.  No matter how tiny that possibility may seem.

Everyone falls down at some point in their lives. But not everyone gets back up.

Most people see the possibility, the potential, but never act on it.

Because they are overwhelmed by the nature of the situation.

Even though everything that they would want, is on the other side of action, they will choose to stay put. 

And let life happen to them.

That’s the unfortunate reality of the world we live in.

But always remember, the greatest comebacks in human history happened from positions of extreme disadvantage. 

The greater the fall, the more epic the comeback.

So stop thinking about what will happen.

Stop counting the odds. Defy them.

Take action, and turn your life around. 

Because it is your duty to do so. 

“Fall down 7 times, stand up 8”

— Old japanese proverb