“I am the master of my fate; I am the captain of my soul.” ~William Henley
Have you ever attempted something new and the outcome was a complete failure? And then because the outcome wasn't in your favor you decided that you would never ever do it again. This can easily lead to years passing by where you watch from the sidelines and envy others who seems to excel and anything they try. The risk seems too high to put yourself out there again.
Your thoughts lead to self deprecating feelings, low self-esteem, loss of confidence, and loss of self love. These feelings become so powerful that it becomes impossible to extract the positive lessons that can come from moments of failure. But by altering a few words in your vocabulary, you can significantly impact your journey towards better health.
"I never lose, I either win or I learn." ~Nelson Mandala
Whats the secret Coach? Failure is one of the strongest ways to learn. Sure you can avoid it, take the easy path, and keep getting all the easy wins but the greater the risk reaps the greater reward. There is nothing inherently wrong with taking the easy street but the most monumental growth can only happen when you put yourself in challenging situations where you can only either win or lose. The magic is in learning from the loss. Be curious about how you'll improve when you try again, pivot, and then go for it knowing you're stronger this time around!
Here is one of my favorite examples that happens all the time at the gym.
You're going for your all time record on your back squat for the very first time. You are super excited but also nervous. You chalk up your hands, the bar is resting firmly on your back and you take your two steps away from the squat rack. You drop to the bottom, fire out of the hole, and realize you can only go up about half way. Half the gym is cheering you on and the coach telling you to just keep driving out of the hole. You descend to the bottom and safely bail out. Instantly your thought is "I'm a failure." But this is the crucial moment where you choose to lose or learn.
We have the power to watch our thoughts and decide to jump on the train with them or let them pass on by. We are all prone to gut reaction thoughts of doubt but here is where you say to that that thought, "no thanks, not helpful." Then ask yourself what have I learned? Do I need to improve my position, my mobility, should I squat more frequently through out the week, is my core weak, should I add a recovery day, should I strengthen my hamstrings, or do I need to alter my nutrition to improve my performance? There are so many lessons to gain when you get past your initial thought and reframe the situation from "I failed" to "I learned."
Next time you try something new, expect it to be challenging, and expect plenty of failures along the way. These experiences will build you up so strong that nothing can ever keep you from accomplishing your goals. Get curious, and get out there again and again!
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Love and miss you all,
Coach Madison
