Bouncing Back: How to Recover When Life Knocks You Down

By Ronald L. Mann

Bouncing Back: How to Recover When Life Knocks You Down reveals the behind-the-scene stories of world-class athletes from football, baseball, boxing, golf, tennis and track and field. Discover the 8 fundamental principles that prepare you for and drive peak performance during the most difficult times. Hear the direct stories from football legend, Jim Brown, baseball’s Doug DeCinces and boxing legend, Jose Torres, World Long Drive Champion, Lee Brandon and more.  These extraordinary people have overcome obstacles and obtained great success: learn from them!  Dr. Ron Mann shares his expertise and wisdom in these interviews and shows you how to integrate these fundamental principles into your life. Learn the importance of and how to achieve, Adjustment, Individuation, Spiritual Awareness, Coachability, Heart, Positive Mental States, Emotional Intelligence and Self-Belief.  These are key elements that will determine your success or failure in life. We live in changing and uncertain times. Many people feel lost, confused and fearful. The inspiration and information in "Bouncing Back" provides a psycho/spiritual roadmap that leads to peace of mind, mental clarity, strength of heart and openness to change. Take the self-analysis for each essential element and find out where you stand and how to progress. "Bouncing Back" opens a door to a world of meaning and success.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Open Road Integrated Media
• Release date: Jul 1, 2010
• ISBN: 9781600379697

Book preview

Chapter 1

The Lineup

The ancient Chinese curse, May you live in interesting times, applies to the times that are upon us. Life has become more interesting than many of us would have ever desired. We have seen stock market swings of 500 points a day, home values declining 10-40 percent across the nation, foreclosures rolling across the country, job security evaporating, 401(k) holdings losing tremendous value, food prices rising, international terrorism continuing to threaten the security of all nations, and health care costs continuing to rise beyond reason. Is there any wonder that millions of people are worried, confused, lost, and anxious about their physical and economic security? We know that stress is the greatest underlying cause for physical illness. This much worrying is not good for your health. These external realities may be more pressing right now, but there are also the constant issues that confront us every day: loss of loved ones, disease, and health problems. Any of the factors can be devastating if we do not have the inner tools and resources to handle them.

The great Wisdom Teachings advise us, Difficult times hold the seeds for great opportunities, The true depth of one’s character is revealed in the light of day, and God’s grace transcends worldly karma. These eternal truths can provide solace and direction during our current troubled times. Even though the outer world is in turmoil, your inner life does not have to parallel these pandemic problems. As the saying goes, when the going gets tough, the tough get going! You do not have to feel helpless and lost. There is a roadmap that will guide you through this maze of disaster. Others have struggled through tremendous adversity and have emerged victorious! You can learn from their stories and become inspired and gain the wisdom to make better decisions, adjust to the current demands of reality, and find your way through to better times.

I was fortunate to interview several unique individuals from the sports world. I spoke with people across various sports: baseball, golf, boxing, tennis, and football. Each person has a unique story which reveals profound truths for personal mastery and survival during the most difficult of times. Sports are great because they contain the microcosm of life. We see all of our challenges, test, frailties, strengths, and successes revealed. Their stories reveal eight essential truths for self-mastery and victory in the most difficult and challenging circumstances. Let’s meet these individuals who were generous enough to share their stories.

Jim Brown

Jim Brown is the greatest football player of all time. He is a massive man of six foot two and has biceps the size of my calves. Aside from his tremendous physical strength, he has a presence that tells you not to fool around. One look from his eyes could stop a raging bull running at full speed!

James Nathaniel Jim Brown (born February 17, 1936) is an American former professional football player who has also made his mark as an actor and social activist. He is best known for his exceptional and record-setting nine-year career as a running back for the NFL Cleveland Browns from 1957 to 1965. In 2002, he was named by The Sporting News as the greatest professional football player ever.

College career

1954–1956. As a sophomore at Syracuse University, Brown was the second leading rusher on the team. As a junior, he rushed for 666 yards (5.2 per carry). In his senior year, Brown was a unanimous first-team All-American. He finished 5th in the Heisman Trophy voting, and set school records for highest rush average (6.2) and most rushing touchdowns (6). He ran for 986 yards—third most in the country despite Syracuse playing only eight games—and scored 14 touchdowns. In the regular-season finale, a 61–7 rout of Colgate, he rushed for 197 yards, scored six touchdowns and kicked seven extra points for 43 points (another school record). Then in the Cotton Bowl, he rushed for 132 yards, scored three touchdowns and kicked three extra points. But a blocked extra point after Syracuse’s third touchdown was the difference as TCU won 28-27. Brown is a member of The Pigskin Club Of Washington, D.C. National Intercollegiate All-American Football Players Honor Roll.

Perhaps more impressive was his success as a multi-sport athlete. In addition to his football accomplishments, he excelled in basketball, track, and especially lacrosse. As a sophomore, he was the second leading scorer for the basketball team (15 ppg), and earned a letter on the track team. His junior year, he averaged 11.3 points in basketball, and was named a second-team All-American in lacrosse. His senior year, he was named a first-team All-American in lacrosse (43 goals in 10 games to rank second in scoring nationally).

Professional career

Brown was taken in the first round of the 1956 draft by the Cleveland Browns. He departed as the NFL record holder for both single-season (1,863 in 1963) and career rushing (12,312 yards), as well as the all-time leader in rushing touchdowns (106), total touchdowns (126), and all-purpose yards (15,549). He was the first player ever to reach the 100-rushing-touchdowns milestone, and only a few others have done so since, despite the league’s expansion to a 16-game season in 1978 (Brown’s first four seasons were only 12 games, and his last five were 14 games). Brown also set a record by reaching the 100-touchdown milestone in only 93 games, which stood until LaDainian Tomlinson reached it in 89 games during the 2006 season. Brown holds the record for total seasons leading the NFL in all-purpose yards (5: 1958–1961, 1964), and is the only rusher in NFL history to average over 100 yards per game for a career. Brown was also a superb receiver out of the backfield, catching 262 passes for 2,499 yards and 20 touchdowns. Every season he played, Brown was voted into the Pro Bowl, and he left the league in style by scoring three touchdowns in his final Pro Bowl game. Perhaps the most amazing feat is that Jim Brown accomplished these records despite never playing past 29 years of age.

Brown’s 1,863 rushing yards in the 1963 season remain a Cleveland franchise record. It is currently the oldest franchise record for rushing yards out of all 32 NFL teams. While others have compiled more prodigious statistics, when viewing Brown’s standing in the game his style of running must be considered along with statistical measures. He was very difficult to tackle (shown by his leading 5.2 yards per carry), often requiring more than one person to bring him down.

Brown retired, at age thirty, far ahead of the second-leading rusher and remains the league’s eighth all-time leading rusher, and is still the Cleveland Browns all-time leading rusher.

In the 1960s, Brown helped form the Negro Industrial Economic Union to assist black-owned businesses. In 1988, he created the Amer-I-Can program, an effort to turn gang members from destructive to productive members of society. It is successfully operating in twelve U.S. cities and promoting a skills curriculum that is designed to teach inmates how to empower themselves to turn their lives around with positive self-esteem and self-determination. Brown helped to create a cease-fire between two of Los Angeles’ most violent rival gangs, the Bloods and Crips.

Acting Career

Brown had begun his career as an actor with an appearance in the film Rio Conchos in 1964, then played a villain in a 1967 episode of I Spy called Cops and Robbers, went on to star in the 1967 war movie The Dirty Dozen (during the filming of which he announced his retirement from professional football), the 1970 movie …tick…tick…tick…, as well as in numerous other features. In 1969, Brown starred in 100 Rifles with Burt Reynolds and Raquel Welch. The film was one of the first to feature an interracial love scene. Raquel Welch reflects on the scene in Spike Lee’s Jim Brown: All-American. Brown acted with Fred Williamson in films such as 1974’s Tree the Hard Way, 1975’s Take a Hard Ride, 1982’s One Down, Two to Go, 1996’s Original Gangstas and 2002’s On the Edge. He also guest-starred in a handful of television episodes of various programs with Williamson. In 1998, he provided the voice of Butch Meathook in Small Soldiers. Perhaps Brown’s most memorable roles were as Robert Jefferson in The Dirty Dozen, and in Keenen Ivory Wayans’ 1988 comedy I’m Gonna Git You Sucka. Brown also acted in 1987’s The Running Man, an adaptation of a Stephen King story, as Fireball. He played a coach in Any Given Sunday and also appeared in Sucker Free City and Mars Attacks!. Brown appeared in some TV shows including Knight Rider in the season 3 premiere episode Knight of the