There are myriad ways on how to deal with different challenges, and for Qatari entrepreneur Khalifa al-Misnad engaging in sports played a key role in helping him swing at the unexpected curveballs of day-to-day life.
“At a young age, I learned a great deal through sports, which provided me with discipline and purpose. Even more important, I believe you learn to embrace adversity and challenge. Sports has a way of being entertaining, while simultaneously pushing a person both physically and mentally.
“At a young age, I learned a great deal through sports, which provided me with discipline and purpose. Even more important, I believe you learn to embrace adversity and challenge. Sports has a way of being entertaining, while simultaneously pushing a person both physically and mentally.
“The mental toughness that I’ve developed through sports has been a catalyst in taking risks and venturing into the unknown, which is where I find most of life’s lessons reside and gives us a truer perspective of life,” al-Misnad told Gulf Times.
Al-Misnad spends time balancing personal development, work, and quality time with loved ones, but he is also open to opportunities that push the proverbial envelope. After joining Samla – a locally-grown ultramarathon that translates to ‘perseverance’, al-Misnad said his attitude towards running changed.
“I’ve seen Samla literally change lives, and personally I’ve found that endurance running has grown to be an integral part of my life and has played a large role in my general adventure and self-discovery over the last few years. “We as humans have traditionally gone the distance as hunters and gatherers and we’re designed to be on our feet, moving, and breathing. We’re quite literally designed to run, so the internal and external discovery that running has recently provided in my life has been profound,” he explained.
He added: “Exploring this planet on our feet allows us to connect with our surroundings in a much more real sense and fully-leverage our experience through what we see, smell, touch, and feel. I’ve found the more real and vulnerable we are to ourselves, the fuller we live life.”
Having raced in Samla four times, al-Misnad said the competition has evolved over the past years, providing a different set of challenges and lessons.
“When dealing with an endurance race with the magnitude of Samla, the list of challenges to overcome is endless, yet most are surmountable if the inner fight with one’s self is won. Our mind tends to appreciate comfort and prefers the path of least resistance, so the biggest lesson I’ve learned over the years is how to detach and be patient with adversity.
“Samla or any other ultramarathon is analogous to life in the sense that it’s a long journey, and no matter how you prepare and plan, you will have one challenge after another, so the question is how do you make the best of these challenges as opposed to challenges making the best of you,” al-Misnad stressed. He added: “The race is long as they say, whether it be Samla or life, and we can worry about a multitude of things. I’ve found that if we can separate from the turbulence of our minds, and focus on the moment with an incremental ‘one step at a time’ approach, then we can overcome almost anything in life.”
Al-Misnad spends time balancing personal development, work, and quality time with loved ones, but he is also open to opportunities that push the proverbial envelope. After joining Samla – a locally-grown ultramarathon that translates to ‘perseverance’, al-Misnad said his attitude towards running changed.
At the Samla start
“I’ve seen Samla literally change lives, and personally I’ve found that endurance running has grown to be an integral part of my life and has played a large role in my general adventure and self-discovery over the last few years. “We as humans have traditionally gone the distance as hunters and gatherers and we’re designed to be on our feet, moving, and breathing. We’re quite literally designed to run, so the internal and external discovery that running has recently provided in my life has been profound,” he explained.
He added: “Exploring this planet on our feet allows us to connect with our surroundings in a much more real sense and fully-leverage our experience through what we see, smell, touch, and feel. I’ve found the more real and vulnerable we are to ourselves, the fuller we live life.”
Having raced in Samla four times, al-Misnad said the competition has evolved over the past years, providing a different set of challenges and lessons.
“When dealing with an endurance race with the magnitude of Samla, the list of challenges to overcome is endless, yet most are surmountable if the inner fight with one’s self is won. Our mind tends to appreciate comfort and prefers the path of least resistance, so the biggest lesson I’ve learned over the years is how to detach and be patient with adversity.
“Samla or any other ultramarathon is analogous to life in the sense that it’s a long journey, and no matter how you prepare and plan, you will have one challenge after another, so the question is how do you make the best of these challenges as opposed to challenges making the best of you,” al-Misnad stressed. He added: “The race is long as they say, whether it be Samla or life, and we can worry about a multitude of things. I’ve found that if we can separate from the turbulence of our minds, and focus on the moment with an incremental ‘one step at a time’ approach, then we can overcome almost anything in life.”