By Dave Smith, The Ultimate Retirement Coach
When things don’t go well, it’s easy to slip into “Why me?”
But the question that actually moves you forward is:
“What is this teaching me?”
You can’t remove frustration from life — at any age — but you can choose to come out a little wiser on the other side.
Real mental toughness isn’t forcing one rigid path.
It’s saying:
Whatever comes my way, I can handle it.
Whatever resources I have, I can make them work.
Whatever the day brings, I can thrive.
One line I read this week stuck with me:
“Your goal should be to reduce the time it takes to get out of a bad state.”
That’s resilience. Not avoiding setbacks, but recovering faster.
One thought:
“When you’re thirty, you get ten minutes to be mad — then move on.”
The time being mad should keep getting shorter at 50, 60, 70, and beyond.
Two reminders worth carrying with you:
“What are you still carrying that isn’t yours?” — Rita Wilkins
Act great now, in the small things. — Wallace Wattles
And one question for your week:
Are you doing this because it makes you feel alive and curious — or because inertia makes it easy to keep going?
Choose the path that brings you back to life.