We’re halfway through the year.

Maybe you’re feeling strong, on track, where you hoped you’d be. Maybe you’re not.

Maybe things haven’t gone to plan —injuries, illness, a shift in priorities. Maybe it’s felt like two steps forward, three steps back.

This isn’t about false positivity. It’s about perspective.

What stands in the way can become the way — if we let it. That twisted ankle, that cancelled event, the days you had to rest instead of exercise? They aren’t the end of the story. They’re part of the route.

Angela Duckworth calls it 'Grit': keeping at it with care and consistency, even when things aren’t easy. Especially then.

If you’re sick, shift the focus. Forget performance for a moment — think nourishment. Hydration, good food, deep rest. Let your body repair. There’s power in pausing with intention, not guilt. Training doesn’t just happen on the track or in the gym. It also happens in your kitchen, in your sleep, in the quiet decision to do what’s needed rather than what’s expected.

And if you’re injured, that doesn’t mean you’re out. It means the focus changes. Maybe it’s about mobility. Maybe it’s about mindset. Can you keep your routine in some form — stretching instead of sprinting, walking instead of running, journaling instead of training? Keep the rhythm, even if the song is different. That’s still progress. That’s still part of the work.

It’s not about going all in or not at all. It’s about staying connected — to the process, to yourself — even when things look different than planned. There’s still half the year ahead. Still room to shift gears, reset, or take a new direction.

Wherever you are right now — you’re not out of the game. You’re still moving. And that counts.

The Obstacle is the Way by Ryan Holiday – a book about turning trials into triumphs, drawn from Stoic philosophy.

Grit by Angela Duckworth – on why perseverance often matters more than talent.

— Usual Objections