A setback or an opportunity?

You hurt your foot running and can no longer do the very thing you love… the schedule at the gym changed and you can’t make your favorite classes… your nagging shoulder injury re-appeared and you can’t use your upper body… signs of aging have showed up and you can’t do certain activities you used to do… your trainer moved out of town, how will I keep working out you ask?

Life happens. We can count on that. Change is inevitable. What matters is how we react and respond to it when it does happen. It will happen. Don’t think you are the lucky one… it’ll catch you off guard when things are going perfectly!

There are many stages of reaction to change, denial, anger, frustration, depression, feeling stuck, feeling like the victim, why me? Then, understanding, acceptance, possibility, maybe you can even see an opportunity.

Allow yourself to feel the different stages and make it your goal to get towards opportunity! I find these 2 definitions fascinating…

Setback: a problem that makes progress more difficult or success less likely

Opportunity: a set of circumstances that makes it possible to do something

How you do you look at things? As a setback or as an opportunity?

Ok, ok, I get it. At first its a setback, right? But, hopefully with some time and processing and allowing it to all sink in, you can see a glimmer of how it could be an opportunity.

Here’s an example: A woman hurts her foot running, even breaks a few bones, is distraught that she can’t run anymore. Running was the one thing that gave her the stress relief she needed. Fear of weight gain looms… what will I ever do? In time, she discovers spinning at her local YMCA. Amazing, she feels those endorphins again and has hope! What an opportunity to discover something else she loves!

Think about what setbacks you have encountered and what came out of it… If you are experiencing one now, see if you can tell what stage you are in. How could you take a step back and look at the situation from a different angle? Could it be an opportunity for something else?

Listen, we all get frustrated when things change or don’t go our way, but what matters is how we come out the other side of it all. Staying fit and active is so important for how we feel, so stay open to the possibilities of how you can keep going. It just might look different from what you thought!

A great coach will encourage you and help you get though the setback and even help you see the silver lining in it all. Don’t give up! I promise, you’ll be happy you hung in through the hard parts, and made it out the other side even better because of it all!