I have to confess that Bounce inevitably reminds me of Tigger in A A Milne’s ‘The House at Pooh Corner‘, the classic children’s story of a collection of toy animals brought to life as remarkably recognisable archetypes against the background of the lovely Ashdown Forest in Sussex, England.  If you know the book or the film, you’ll remember that the extreme extrovert Tigger is way too loud for the more thoughtful Pooh, intimidating to nervous Piglet, and annoying to the famously grumpy Eeyore.  Tigger definitely isn’t big on self-awareness. People feel ‘bounced’ into doing what they don’t want to do. He’s completely oblivious to others’ personal space and full of his own self-importance.

Yet there’s something compelling about the bounce that comes from self-aware confidence.  Definitely not Tigger at all. And it can be the first thing that gets lost when things get difficult at work. The work of recovering your balance, by putting you back in touch with your core values, strengths and experience, is designed to help you recover that bounce.

So what characterises the bounce that comes from confidence? It’s most visible when you’re present, centred, aware and responsive to people around you. You connect with it when you’re doing things you do well and you know it. It gives you neither superiority nor inferiority in relation to others – you’re equal and different, complementary. And you feel at ease in the world in the moment. It’s purposeful but not forceful. It’s just you being you without fearing what others think or what they might do to undermine you.

To help connect with your authentic bounce, try this:

  • Take two deep breaths, and smile, slowly.
  • List five things you are glad to have in your life.
  • List the two things that matter most to you.
  • Write a paragraph about what you love to do most and how it makes you feel (it can be anything at all).
  • Note how you’re feeling when you’ve done these things.

And if you like musical theatre, here’s Audra McDonald with a song that says it all: