--- title: The ability to bounce back quickly is one of the most important life skills created: 2025-12-21T06:09:03 modified: 2026-01-25T16:14:18 --- #Newsletter > _[“Legends aren’t defined by their success, they’re defined by how they bounce back from their failures.” — Chris Bosh’s Speech at the 2021 Basketball Hall of Fame Enshrinement](https://www.youtube.com/shorts/Hkd-7zUxQaA)_ > _“Jumping from failure to failure with undiminished enthusiasm is the big secret to success.” — Savas Dimopoulos_ > _“If you get on the wrong train, get off at the nearest station. The longer it takes you to get off, the more expensive the return trip will be.” — Japanese proverb_ --- Your goal in life should be to **reduce the amount of time it takes to get out of a bad state**. The ability to [bounce back quickly](resilience.md) is one of life’s most important skills. [It’s not about how hard you hit. It’s about how hard you can get hit, how much you can take, and keep moving forward.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tZUC-uAGLEA) My wife once told me, [“When you’re five, you can be mad for a day. When you’re ten, you can be mad for an hour. By the time you’re thirty, you get ten minutes—and then you have to move on.”](https://jamesclear.com/3-2-1/december-11-2025) Life is full of [frustration and disappointment](failing-forward-turns-setbacks-into-stepping-stones.md). Real maturity isn’t eliminating bad moments—it’s shrinking the time they have power over you. Becoming [less reactive](choose-your-response.md) doesn’t mean nothing bothers you; it means you’ve trained yourself to recognize when you’re in a bad state and pull yourself out of it faster. --- [Don’t panic](dont-panic.md)