Overcoming a setback: Grit, determination & bouncing forward
Getting back up after a devastating setback is one of the most single definitive predictors of long-term success.
In psychology, this ability to persevere through disappointment is known as grit; a combination of passion, ability to absorb pain, and sustained persistence toward a long-term goal.
I firmly believe that competing in sports gives participants a ‘front row seat’ into how an individual can develop grit over the longer term. And harnessed grit will provide tools for long-term success in both sport and life.
This blog will reference how elite world class athletes like the Australian Women's Eight rowing team, are likely to power through adversity following the 2026 World Rowing Championships in Amsterdam, and will likely provide a public case study of grit, determination, resilience and future success. Spoiler alert, the Women’s Eight did not get the result they had hoped for, however knowing some of the characters on board, they will bounce back with alacrity!
This grit principle can help govern our active choices in everyday life. Whether in sport, business, relationships or personal development, bouncing back (or bouncing forward as a wise person once told me) requires strength of character, deep psychological commitment, self-compassion / kindness to self, and an unshakeable sense of purpose.
1. Understanding setbacks: The crucible of character
From personal experience, disappointment is an uncomfortable but inevitable human experience. When an individual or a team pours months, sometimes years, of agonising preparation into a singular objective, falling short can feel emotionally devastating. However, the initial sting of failure is not what defines a pursuit; rather, it is the response to that setback that determines future outcomes.
Setbacks can strip away superficial confidence or ‘believing your own press’, forcing people to identify and confront their vulnerabilities and / or weaknesses. Those who view ‘failure’ as a permanent indictment of their abilities can often fall into a cycle of helplessness. Conversely, individuals grounded in determination and grit view a disappointing result not as a dead-end, but as a critical data point and potentially, an opportunity. Bouncing forward begins with reframing the narrative from ‘I have failed’ to "this approach did not quite work out this time, and I can adjust my approach and preparation for next time’. Or put another way from some studies done long ago, actively choosing, ‘learning by doing’.
Learning from setbacks is a ‘choice’ as highlighted in my December blog on the epitome of grit, from one of Australia’s finest, the late Neal Daniher AO.
https://www.andrewsmcneil.com/blog/the-power-of-choice
2. The power of grit and determination
Psychologist Angela Duckworth defined grit as the perseverance and passion for long-term goals. Unlike raw talent or intelligence, grit is a variable entirely within an individual's control. It operates on two distinct pillars:
Consistency of effort: The discipline to show up and execute daily, even when enthusiasm has waned.
Resilience in adversity: The cognitive flexibility to absorb a loss, process the negative emotions, and return to the arena with renewed focus.
Determination bridges the gap between a devastating loss and a future triumph. It acts as an internal anchor that keeps an individual steady when external circumstances can chaotic or disheartening. Without sheer determination, minor obstacles can become reasons to quit; with it, massive failures become foundational stepping stones to bounce forward.
3. Case Study: The Australian women’s eight in Amsterdam (2026)
The raw mechanics of grit and resilience were vividly illustrated by the Australian Women's Eight at the 2026 World Rowing Championships held at one of my favourite venues, the Bosbaan course in Amsterdam, Netherlands.
The stakes and the setback
Earlier in the 2026 season, the Women’s Eight fired a brilliant warning shot to the rowing world by capturing gold at World Cup I in Seville, indicating immense technical progress under a restructured national team system. The eight entered Amsterdam with elevated expectations, eyeing a premium finish on the world stage to build momentum toward the LA28 Olympic cycle.
However, elite international sports can be unyielding. The Women’s Eight missed out on the coveted A-final, a deeply disappointing outcome for a flagship crew representing our proud rowing nation. In high-stakes international rowing, missing the premier final can potentially break a team's spirit. The psychological weight of knowing you are good enough, but out of the running for a world championship medal can cause performance to unravel in the B-final.
The response: Dominating the B-final
Instead of letting the disappointment of missing the medals race dictate their B-final performance, the Australian crew chose a different path. Showing immense mental fortitude, they reset, regrouped, and stepped back into their boat with fierce determination.
In their final race on the Bosbaan, the Australian Women's Eight delivered a clinical, powerful performance to win the B-final convincingly. By fighting for pride (and potentially some redemption), superior race execution, and pride in the green-and-gold, the eight proved their resilience on the world stage. Their victory turned a low moment of missing the A-final into a platform for learning, grit and progress for the next 12 months of preparation for the Olympic qualification regatta in 2027.
4. The psychology of ‘bouncing forward’
How do high performers, like the Australian women’s eight execute a reset under immense pressure and disappointment? Behavioural science highlights several core practices that allow people to bounce forward effectively.
Dynamic reframing and perspective
To recover from a loss, you should seek to gain immediate perspective. Elite athletes realise that ‘a bad day at the office’ does not diminish their aggregate skill set. According to psychological sports research from Todd Kashdan's Hope Studies, having ‘pathways and agency’ and an abundance of alternative strategies, allows individuals to maintain optimism.
Practising radical self-compassion
Crucially, bouncing forward requires self-compassion rather than destructive self-criticism. Experts point out that self-compassionate individuals are far more capable of admitting mistakes, modifying unproductive behaviours, and taking on new challenges. Treating oneself with baseline kindness allows an individual to objectively analyse what went wrong without damaging their fundamental self-worth.
Shifting focus to execution
When a result goes against you, obsessing over the scoreboard is often counterproductive. Resilient individuals can pivot their focus away from outcomes and direct it entirely toward process: opportunities to learn and enhancing execution for next time. In the context of a rowing crew, this means pushing aside the previous result, and focusing more on the rhythm and what moves the boat – from previous experience, tightening up after a poor result only ‘slows your boat down’. And in life, sometimes the ‘harder we try’, the worse the next outcome. Often times, it is the peaceful reflection, some self-compassion (kindness to self), honestly assessing the learning opportunities presented, and be open to a growth mindset to refocus on the process to execute better next time.
5. Cultivating Everyday Resilience
The lessons from Amsterdam’s Bosbaan course apply universally to everyday professional, academic, and personal challenges. Building a robust capacity to handle disappointing results can be cultivated through deliberate practice:
Embrace the pivot: Expect that paths will invariably change. When a primary plan fails, rapidly evaluate alternative avenues to reach the objective.
Control the controllables: (An old favourite), you cannot alter a past result or dictate external factors like competitors' speeds. You can only control your current attitude, preparation, and effort.
Build an ‘unterrified’ culture: Surround yourself with a network, colleagues, leaders, coaches or team members that view ‘failure’ as an educational prerequisite to mastery rather than a ‘punishable offence’.
As my old mate Drew Ginn says, the art of ‘play’ in elite settings can allow team members to learn from ‘playing’ in a safe environment. The ‘play’ aspect takes away inadvertent pressure and allows the team to learn by doing and allowing mistakes or ‘punishable offences’ as a method to improve future performance.
An example in financial services, a ‘sandpit’ (or regulatory sandbox) is a controlled, safe testing environment set up by regulators where fintech startups and financial institutions can test new products, services, or business models without full compliance burdens. Playing with new ideas in a safe environment can lead to exceptional future results.
Summary of the ‘grit’ framework
On the reaction to disappointment - Evaluate any errors objectively; focus on the next immediate task and maintain your effort.
Longer-term positive impact - Compounded skill development, high psychological durability and ultimate goal achievement.
Conclusion: The horizon ahead
Every disappointing result is simply a chapter in a much longer narrative, not the final conclusion. True grit is not about never failing; it is about keeping your weight in the right place so that whenever you are knocked sideways, you naturally ‘right yourself’ safely.
The Australian women's eight left Amsterdam without a world championship medal around their necks, but they walked away with something equally valuable: a demonstrated proof of their internal culture that when knocked down, resilience and heart can be applied in the very next race. By winning their final race under trying circumstances, they set a vital resilience benchmark for their journey toward the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games and 2027 Olympic qualifying.
When disappointment strikes in life (and it will), wipe away the frustration, step back into your lane, and leverage the next stroke with everything you have. And my money is on the Australian women’s eight to perform even better next season from the learning opportunities presented to the crew during 2026. Resilience and determination will always win in the long term.
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