FAILURE.

This week I’m examining failure.  We all fail at one point or another…Fail to finish everything we planned for the day, fail to remember something important, fail to make it to an appointment on-time.  The bottom line is that eventually, we will all fail at something, and how we react to that failure is what defines us.

Last week, I was focusing on determination and completing all of my goals for one week. Then I got sick.  I was completely out of commission for 2-3 days.  No work, no work outs, barely able to get out of bed.  I thought to myself, perfect, the week that I am trying to get everything done, and really be consistent, I am failing on Monday.

Many would have reacted to this in one or two ways.  First, some might have seen it as a complete failure, and shut everything down for the whole week saying something along the lines of “Well this week is ruined,” or “I’ll try again next week.”  The second, is how I chose to look at it, and that is that there are things that are completely out of our control, but why give up an entire week for something I had no control over.  A single failure should not elicit future failures. So for me, once I was able to get back to workouts, I jumped right back on the horse, and made sure to finish the week strong in spite of my not being able to get off to a good start.

Failure results from one of two things I feel: setting goals that are far too lofty and unattainable or having the belief that you simply cannot achieve whatever it is you are hoping to do.  Both of these are detriments in their own right, and with a dose of reality and some positive thinking can be overcome.  There is some truth to the old adage “Get knocked down seven times, stand up eight.”  We have to stop looking at little falls as major failures.  The path that connects where you are and where you want to be is not at all straight, and there will definitely be times where you feel you are actually moving backward.  All that aside though, success follows hard work and determination, and how we respond to our perceived failures is what ultimately shapes and defines our success.

Remember, you are your own judge jury and executioner.  You make the ultimate decision on whether or not you are a success or a failure.  Be proud of your accomplishments no matter how small, and when you do feel that you’ve failed, pick yourself up, and get on track.

Until next time, Endure On!