November 30, 2022 | Read Online

When Hardship Hits Twice

When personal hardship hits, many regret their circumstances and think about what could’ve been. A select few see how the setback can lead to growth.

It was a common but still devastating injury for one of the most exciting talents to come through the sport.

But in the months after tearing her meniscus and fracturing her tibia, Paige Bueckers pushed through rehab — ultimately returning sooner than expected and leading the UConn Huskies women’s basketball team to the 2022 National Championship game.

Bueckers worked tirelessly throughout the summer and seemed poised for a huge junior year — and then injury struck again. She tore her ACL in August and is now expected to miss the entire 2022-23 season.

So, how is she navigating the disappointment and frustrations? How does someone get through a big setback, all to be dealt an even more agonizing one soon thereafter?

For Bueckers, it’s really come down to four key strategies that anyone going through personal adversity can apply:

1. Take the first week to yourself

Bueckers didn’t want to throw a pity party when she got the ACL diagnosis, but she knew she couldn’t just act as if everything were normal and she was fine. So, she actually took the first week to sulk a bit and lament her bad luck. Then, she got back to work.

When hardship hits, it’s admirable to want to immediately push through and act like it has no impact on us, but perseverance doesn’t mean being a delusional optimist or dismissing reality. It also entails acknowledging our new circumstances and creating the action plan to get through.

2. Find an inspiration

For Bueckers, it’s been reading Kobe Bryant’s book, Mamba Mentality, and using it as a resource to improve her own mental toughness. One of Bryant’s principles, she found, was to never dwell on an injury, and she’s adopted this mindset and used various other concepts from it to motivate her on days when she’s not feeling her best.

3. Consider what realistic growth can come from it

We don't need to become delusional optimists about our challenge, but considering the potential hidden benefits of our hardship can improve our mentality. For Bueckers, that’s been changing her nutrition and getting into pilates to make her more athletic in the long term.

4. Add macro-level skills

Bueckers has now taken to coaching her teammates in practice, making suggestions to the staff, and even drawing up plays on occasion. All of this has earned her more credibility with teammates and improved her own leadership abilities that she’ll need in the years to come.

When personal hardship hits, many regret their circumstances and think about what could’ve been. But part of an elite leadership mentality entails seeing how the setback can lead to growth and benefit us months or even years down the road.

This doesn’t mean being naïve or dismissive of the new difficult reality — but instead, staring it in the eyes and refusing to blink.