Fitness Philosopher

Facing Fear of Failure.

Failure.

Fear of it pervades our society.

Frustration with it crops up on the gym floor.

The question is, is that frustration you feel when you experience failure constructive or destructive?

If you respond to that failure constructively -- with a stoked competitive fire and a stronger drive to train harder and smarter in pursuit of your goals -- you're golden.

If, however, you habitually respond with a destructive mindset that leads you to contemplate trading the rigors of training for a couch, TV and bowls of ice cream . . . well, you don't need me to tell you that you've got some mental work to do.

The probability that you're going to "fail" during a training session is high.  If you really want to enhance performance -- whether it's performance in mundane daily chores, professional sports or anything in between -- the very nature of training dictates that you have to push your limits to make progress.  You have to stimulate your body in a way that provokes it to become better than it already is.

And that means you're not always going to achieve the number of reps you'd planned for.

You're not always going to successfully move the weight you've been working toward for months.

You're not always going to maintain a high level of intensity for an entire training session. . .

. . . and that's okay, provided you're doing your best to progress.

In the context of training, the failure most commonly experienced is anything but abject failure.  In fact, the only way you'll completely fail is if you fail to try.

What's Your Last Memory? Your Lasting Impression?

You're often reminded that you don't get a second chance to make a first impression on a new person or group that you encounter.

But what about the final impression, the lasting memory that you have of yourself?

Are you walking out of the gym today lamenting a perceived sub-par effort, or are you exalting the fact that you "let it all hang out" before you stepped into the shower?

Are you timidly stepping through the days of your life -- hoping not to get hurt and make mistakes -- or are you taking life on and doing your best to experience all that you can?

And regardless of your endeavors -- the small ones at the gym or the large scale dreams that carry you through the majority of your life -- are you looking in the mirror at the end of the day happy with who you are?  Celebrating the memory(ies) that you've made that nobody can take away from you?

Living life in a way that leaves others positively impressed with you can surely contribute toward your fruitful life.

But screw that.

Concern yourself more with leaving a positive final impression on you, regardless of the world around you.  Concern yourself with being content when you look in the mirror every night.  Concern yourself with living a life without regret. 

Concern yourself with taking advantage of every opportunity to create a lifetime of positive memories. . . and you'll all but guarantee a lifetime of cumulative success.