Dealing with Setbacks
It’s an unfortunate fact of life that we will inevitably deal with setbacks in our personal, professional, and athletic lives. Often, problems from one
facet of our life will bleed over into another. While each of us will deal with these challenges in our own unique way, here are a few useful
techniques for dealing with common roadblocks during the switchbacks of our athletic lives.
- View each problem or challenge as an opportunity to persevere and overcome.
- Emotional or life stress can take a toll on your athletic endeavors. As athletes, we must integrate our personal and professional lives with our athletic lives. Prioritize your life and act accordingly.
- Despite our best intentions, very few athletes go an entire career without an injury. Accept it, follow the recovery and rehabilitation plan, and set your sights on the future.
- Don’t be afraid of failure. Some of the most successful athletes in the world spent a lot of time missing their target early on. If you don’t play, you’ll never win.
- Give every action proper thought and plan ahead. Your choices today will affect your abilities and position tomorrow. Weigh the consequences and choose according to what is important to you (and yours), not the way you think someone else would choose. Satisfaction flows from the inside.
- Define success on your own terms. Every season brings a different situation. Your goals from year to year will change.
- Wisdom is knowledge distilled through experience. Accept it from those who offer it and share it with those who seek it. You’ll be a better and more satisfied athlete for it.
- Be a good sport. Accept victory with humility and loss with graciousness. You’re the same person either way.
- Always remember that you are in the enviable position of being ‘in the arena.’ You may not be as fast as you wanted to be or place as high as you thought you should. But you are there. So many people in the world will never have the chance.
Marty Gaal - August 2006