Why a major life setback doesn’t mean you should give up completely
Extreme athlete Marcus Smith talks us though his four-step process and explains how having the Ultra Mindset will ensure you use these obstacles to advance you, not set you back, and see you bouncing back stronger than ever.
Marcus Smith is an extreme athlete, entrepreneur and motivational speaker. He is also the owner of InnerFight and the co-founder of Smith Street Paleo
While setbacks are a normal step in the path to success, when they happen to us personally, they can often feel soul destroying. However, life isn’t always a bed of roses, and sometimes things happen that we just don’t see coming. Case in point: Covid.
Some setbacks are small, others may feel like your world is ending, however a major setback doesn’t have to mean the end of your story. Extreme athlete Marcus Smith talks us though his four-step process and explains how having the Ultra Mindset will ensure you use these obstacles to advance you, not set you back, and see you bouncing back stronger than ever.
1. Accept what you cannot change
First and foremost, it’s important to accept the failure or the setback, and what happened to cause it. It’s common for people to roam through life in varying states of denial as to why and or how certain things happen but doing this will simply cause more problems in the long run.
In my case, it could be something as small as when I feel a blister forming during an ultra race. If I am running for 250km and if I do not deal with that situation right away it will only get worse. I have learnt this the hard way that running through the discomfort and thinking it will pass is not the solution. All it takes is a two-minute stop to adjust something in my shoe and I am on my way again. By dropping my ego for a couple minutes in favour of practicality, I am able to address the issue and ultimately perform better in the long run.
It’s not always easy to own up to our mistakes, as most of the time we think we are doing the right thing, so talk to a friend or mentor if you need support accepting what went wrong.
2. Adjust your timeframe
So, you’ve hit a setback on the way to achieving your goal. What next? Give up? Absolutely not! If it’s something you really want, you will find another route! It often takes a simple adjustment to your timeframe or the route you are taking, and you can be right back on track. It is not always possible to achieve things on a set time scale; the trick is being comfortable reassessing your original plan and altering the course slightly – it’s no big deal!
The pandemic has derailed many goals for many people, but if your determination is rock solid, you stay cool and see the temporary derailment as solely that and nothing more, you will get back on track.
3. Try to relax
If we approach a situation with a ‘hot head’ or we let our failure affect our moods too deeply, we will never be in the right mental space to tackle the issue. That’s why, for step three, relaxation is key. Whether we take a five-minute time out or step back from our goal for a couple of weeks, it’s important to listen to what our bodies and minds are telling us. Exercising some form of relaxation in this time is vital to prevent total insanity!
Try not to fill your time with unhealthy habits like eating junk food or spending too long binge-watching series. Instead, focus on the tools that strengthen your body and mind, such as yoga or daily exercise in any form for at least 30 minutes a day, eight hours of sleep and eating a sugar-free, unprocessed diet – you can’t go wrong!
4. Don’t beat yourself up
I am a huge believer that there is always something we can do to make ourselves feel better about a situation. Maybe it’s going to the beach for a swim or doing something totally unrelated to our goals. We all get stuck working toward our goals at times, and this in itself can be tiring and stressful. The best thing we can do is reconnect with ourselves, and there are a number of practices and techniques we can use here. Personal reflection is extremely important and something most of us don’t make time for in day-to-day life. Be it meditation or just taking some time to think, once you start practicing, you will see its true power.
My ultimate way of reconnecting, pressing reset and putting things into perspective is getting out into nature. Back in 2015, as I ran across the Sahara desert, I thought to myself how amazing this world is and it really put things in perspective for me. That is a feeling I often try to recreate when things aren’t going to plan. Whether you choose to reflect on these things alone or with a friend, loved one or mentor, things will become clearer in no time.
No matter how far away you are from achieving your goals, a major life setback doesn’t mean you should give up completely. The nature of your setback is temporary, and these valuable tools will help you push through to a very bright future.
Marcus Smith is an extreme athlete, entrepreneur and motivational speaker. He is also the owner of InnerFight and the co-founder of Smith Street Paleo
Follow us on
For all the latest business news from the UAE and Gulf countries, follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn, like us on Facebook and subscribe to our YouTube page, which is updated daily.
by Staff Writer
More of this topic
Why a major life setback doesn’t mean you should give up completely
Extreme athlete Marcus Smith talks us though his four-step process and explains how having the Ultra Mindset will ensure you use these obstacles to advance you, not set you back, and see you bouncing back stronger than ever.
Marcus Smith is an extreme athlete, entrepreneur and motivational speaker. He is also the owner of InnerFight and the co-founder of Smith Street Paleo
While setbacks are a normal step in the path to success, when they happen to us personally, they can often feel soul destroying. However, life isn’t always a bed of roses, and sometimes things happen that we just don’t see coming. Case in point: Covid.
Some setbacks are small, others may feel like your world is ending, however a major setback doesn’t have to mean the end of your story. Extreme athlete Marcus Smith talks us though his four-step process and explains how having the Ultra Mindset will ensure you use these obstacles to advance you, not set you back, and see you bouncing back stronger than ever.
1. Accept what you cannot change
First and foremost, it’s important to accept the failure or the setback, and what happened to cause it. It’s common for people to roam through life in varying states of denial as to why and or how certain things happen but doing this will simply cause more problems in the long run.
In my case, it could be something as small as when I feel a blister forming during an ultra race. If I am running for 250km and if I do not deal with that situation right away it will only get worse. I have learnt this the hard way that running through the discomfort and thinking it will pass is not the solution. All it takes is a two-minute stop to adjust something in my shoe and I am on my way again. By dropping my ego for a couple minutes in favour of practicality, I am able to address the issue and ultimately perform better in the long run.
It’s not always easy to own up to our mistakes, as most of the time we think we are doing the right thing, so talk to a friend or mentor if you need support accepting what went wrong.
2. Adjust your timeframe
So, you’ve hit a setback on the way to achieving your goal. What next? Give up? Absolutely not! If it’s something you really want, you will find another route! It often takes a simple adjustment to your timeframe or the route you are taking, and you can be right back on track. It is not always possible to achieve things on a set time scale; the trick is being comfortable reassessing your original plan and altering the course slightly – it’s no big deal!
The pandemic has derailed many goals for many people, but if your determination is rock solid, you stay cool and see the temporary derailment as solely that and nothing more, you will get back on track.
3. Try to relax
If we approach a situation with a ‘hot head’ or we let our failure affect our moods too deeply, we will never be in the right mental space to tackle the issue. That’s why, for step three, relaxation is key. Whether we take a five-minute time out or step back from our goal for a couple of weeks, it’s important to listen to what our bodies and minds are telling us. Exercising some form of relaxation in this time is vital to prevent total insanity!
Try not to fill your time with unhealthy habits like eating junk food or spending too long binge-watching series. Instead, focus on the tools that strengthen your body and mind, such as yoga or daily exercise in any form for at least 30 minutes a day, eight hours of sleep and eating a sugar-free, unprocessed diet – you can’t go wrong!
4. Don’t beat yourself up
I am a huge believer that there is always something we can do to make ourselves feel better about a situation. Maybe it’s going to the beach for a swim or doing something totally unrelated to our goals. We all get stuck working toward our goals at times, and this in itself can be tiring and stressful. The best thing we can do is reconnect with ourselves, and there are a number of practices and techniques we can use here. Personal reflection is extremely important and something most of us don’t make time for in day-to-day life. Be it meditation or just taking some time to think, once you start practicing, you will see its true power.
My ultimate way of reconnecting, pressing reset and putting things into perspective is getting out into nature. Back in 2015, as I ran across the Sahara desert, I thought to myself how amazing this world is and it really put things in perspective for me. That is a feeling I often try to recreate when things aren’t going to plan. Whether you choose to reflect on these things alone or with a friend, loved one or mentor, things will become clearer in no time.
No matter how far away you are from achieving your goals, a major life setback doesn’t mean you should give up completely. The nature of your setback is temporary, and these valuable tools will help you push through to a very bright future.
Marcus Smith is an extreme athlete, entrepreneur and motivational speaker. He is also the owner of InnerFight and the co-founder of Smith Street Paleo
Follow us on
Latest News