Happy Tuesday y’all! *In my mind Southern accent = warm = Summer!!! Could you tell I’m fed up with cold?!* It’s April Fool’s Day, so beware! Haha!
Today, I’d like to write about something that each and every one of us stumbles upon at some point of our lives: SETBACKS. The reason why I decided to bring this subject up is because one of my fellow bloggers, Laura from The Gluten-Free Treadmill, who is my big inspiration, attempted to run an ultra marathon this past weekend. It was super windy and as a result Laura was able to complete 75 out of 100 km. It’s not really surprising that she was feeling upset, frustrated and disappointed.
Obviously, running 75 km is a HUGE accomplishment in itself, and Laura definitely should not feel this way. That being said, it’s very easy to be a bystander and give advice on how to feel or not feel. However, let’s just think for a moment of how many expectations we have of ourselves. It is important to have goals and dreams. The problem is, however, when those dreams and expectations fail to motivate us and on the contrary make us doubt our abilities and alter our progress.
So how do we move on from setbacks? According to Huffington Post, there are a few things we can do:
- Put it into perspective.
Source - Evaluate: What is the lesson learned from this situation?
- Do something differently: ‘Do you want to try again to achieve the same goal or relationship or career change with a different tactic? Or maybe you want to achieve something totally different the next time. Whether you want the same thing or something else, you need to take what you discovered in tip number two and figure out how you are going to approach working towards the goal differently this time. And although you cannot plan out all of life and its obstacles, you can decide to try something new such as taking on a new attitude, or being more flexible to changing course sooner, or being more open to whatever comes your way.’
- Commit to self-integrity: ‘Hold yourself up to not repeating the patterns that are stopping you from getting what you want, and follow through on the new ways that you have committed to doing things. Making this commitment is important for two reasons: First, it builds confidence because you learn that you can have some control over the direction of your life, and second, it stops you from backsliding and repeating the past experience (and then saying “see, I knew this would never work”).’
- Be all over the place: Change it up, spread your possible options.
- Always be your best friend: Don’t beat yourself up. It’s okay to have setbacks. What’s most important is how you come back up.
In other words, it’s okay to be upset, but just for a little bit. Be proud of your accomplishments and your journey. Don’t let any setbacks get you off the road to success and happiness! *Love you, Laura!!!!!*
My workout for today is Bourbon on the Rocks (cross-training) and Ab 500 (strength). Also, do not forget that today is the first day of the Spartan 30 push ups for 30 days challenge!!! *Woop woop!*
How do you deal with setbacks? Have you ever had a roadblock that you weren’t sure you could overcome?
xoxo
Olena
candies & crunches 
I always go in with several goals so I don’t end up disappointed in an otherwise great experience because I didn’t meet a lofty goal. It has definitely helped when I ran into race issues!
This is so true, Emmeline! Great food for thought! xoxo
Love this post! It’s definitely something everyone can relate to. I really think keeping things in perspective is important, even if you can’t reach your goal today you will get there one day if you keep sincerely trying.
You’ve got it right, darling! ❤ xoxo
Perfect post and just the one I needed to read this week! xoxo
Only for you, darling! ❤
Seriously, you made my heart happy with this and your support this weekend!
❤
Great post! I totally agree and I think it’s always important to remember that there will be another day (and another race)!
Thank you, Jason! xoxo
I need to save this post and reread it several times a year. Thanks for the great words of inspiration!
Hi Jan, thank you so much for your kind words and for stopping by my blog!
xoxo
Olena
Great reminder! We’re always our own worst enemy but it’s super important to focus on the good and stay positive.
That’s the spirit! 😀
Awesome advice! Life is full of setbacks. We can either pick ourselves back up and keep on going or we can give up. Giving up is the only real failure in my eyes. I’ve fallen and backtracked so often on the road to health and fitness. It’s exhausting and there are times I do throw in the towel. Not only throw it but tie it around a rock and launch it with a fury. Then later I go and pick it back up again to continue trekking onward. It’s easier now that I give myself leeway and don’t beat myself up every time I stumble. I launch that towel a lot less often now than I ever did when I would beat myself up.
You’re funny!