A few months ago, I hobbled out of an orthopedic appointment feeling like my body had betrayed me. Fueled by denial, I kept my ankle on ice all weekend. It was surely just a mild sprain. That following Monday, the X-ray said otherwise. I had a stress fracture. And I was, indeed, quite stressed.
I know running is a form of self-flagellation to most sane people, but not for me. It’s solitude, therapy, connection with friends (who don’t need help opening snacks), and proof that I can do hard things. It’s how I move my body and clear my head, and it’s part of who I am.
So, when I realized that running might be off the table for a while, I sat in my car and cried. I wondered if my days of chaffing and logging miles were over.
Eventually, as most hard things do, the acute disappointment softened. I found a great physical therapist. I got honest about what I’d been ignoring—nutrition, strength training, my own limits (what??)—and I started healing.
Somewhere in that frustrating, slow, perspective-giving season, I realized that I was learning the same lessons I often talk about with clients. Whether it’s an injury born of stubbornness or a market pullback triggered by tariffs, we all wrestle with interrupted plans. How we respond is the crux of success versus failure.
Here’s what I’ve carried with me:
1. Don’t Try to Keep Up with the Joneses (Especially If They’re Built Like Gazelles)
This injury didn’t come out of nowhere (see above re: stubbornness). I’d been pushing to keep up with friends who were stronger and faster. I let their pace become my standard—and I paid for it.
We see this with money, too. People over-invest, over-leverage, or make choices that aren’t aligned with their actual life rhythms—just to keep up with someone else’s highlight reel. However, your goals deserve a pace that’s actually yours. And if someone judges you for that? Maybe they’re not who you should be running with in the first place.
So ask yourself:
Am I pushing toward my goals—or just trying to keep up?
If your current pace feels unsustainable, it’s worth checking whose race you’re actually running.
2. You Can’t Skip the Foundation
When life gets busy, it’s easy to cut corners. I was logging miles but skipping strength work. I ate well—until about 9 p.m., when the Oreos started calling my name. Eventually, my body said, “Nope.” For recovery to actually stick, I had to go back to the basics: nutrition, mobility, strength, and rest. Without that foundation, progress was always going to be temporary.
The same is true in our financial lives.
People often want to jump straight to investing—because that’s where the excitement is. But no portfolio, no matter how well built, can compensate for shaky ground underneath.
Financially, that foundation includes:
- Avoiding unnecessary debt
- Having a sustainable cash flow plan
- Building an emergency fund
- Getting guidance or accountability when needed
When those pieces are missing, even minor market dips can feel earthshattering. When those pieces are in place, you’re equipped to keep moving—confident that your financial footing can handle the terrain.
So ask yourself:
Is your financial base strong enough to support the future you’re building?
If not, reinforcing that foundation might be the most valuable investment you make this year.
3. Sticking to the Plan Is What Matters Most
My recovery plan wasn’t exciting. For the third week, my “workout” was standing on tiptoes. I felt ridiculous—and honestly, a little discouraged. If I’d been on my own, I probably would’ve bailed early or pushed too hard too soon. I had a great physical therapist, though—a guide with a clear plan, thoughtful progression, and a deeply researched understanding of what I actually needed.
I trusted his process and valued his accountability, so I stuck with it. Even when it felt painfully slow, he was there to remind me of the long game. One day I’d look back and be glad I didn’t give up when things felt invisible.
Financial planning works the same way.
There will be seasons when progress isn’t obvious. When the markets are choppy, or life gets expensive, or your goals feel farther away than you hoped. But a plan grounded in your values—paired with a trusted advisor who sees the big picture? That’s what helps you keep going, without reacting to every twist in the road.
So ask yourself:
Do you have a plan that can hold steady when your motivation doesn’t?
The best plans don’t require constant high-octane effort—they just require consistency.
4. The Break Happens Fast. The Healing Takes Time.
One minute I was running. Thirty minutes later, I was on crutches.
Sure, there were warning signs—tightness, soreness—but the injury itself happened fast. One moment of bad discernment, and everything changed.
Markets can move the same way. Things can look fine… until they aren’t. A downturn shows up fast and loud, often with very little warning. But the recovery? That’s slower. Quieter. It doesn’t make headlines or feel exciting. Often, you don’t even realize things are improving—until one day, you realize things are better.
The real growth happens in quiet, steady spaces, often while you’re just trying to stay upright.
So ask yourself:
Have I built a plan that can outlast the setbacks?
Healing and rebuilding take time—but they do happen, if you give them room to work. (And maybe mute the headlines.)
5. It’s Not About Speed. It’s About Sustainability.
I’m not training for next month—I’m training for twenty years from now. I want to be able to run a marathon with my kids one day, should insanity prove to be genetic. That ‘why’ kept me showing up for boring exercises, and it dissuaded me from skipping shortcuts that wouldn’t have gotten me where I wanted to go.
In addition, I can’t wait nineteen years to start training for that goal. If I want my body to hold up, I have to let it age in the right conditions—like a good cheese or beef jerky.
Financial planning is no different.
Big goals don’t happen by accident. They require a plan that’s sustainable and doesn’t flame out when life gets messy. They need a strong “why” that will drive you through boredom, exhaustion, and ADHD.
So ask yourself:
What’s your long game—and are you building toward it today?
When the “why” is clear, the plan doesn’t feel like a restriction. It starts to feel like freedom.
Final Thought
Sometimes the detour is the teacher.
Whether it’s an injury or a financial curveball, the most important question isn’t “How fast can I get back on track?” It’s “What kind of foundation am I building so I can keep going for the long haul?”
It’s easy to chase the next win, the next PR, the next market rally. But the most lasting results—for your body or your portfolio—come from slow, steady, intentional growth.
So if you’re feeling behind, tired, or tempted to sprint ahead… take a breath. Recenter.
You don’t need to move fast. You just need to move in the right direction—and we’re here to help.
