Why Do We Fail?
It’s the only way to Success
Failure is truly that dreaded “F” word. It instills such deep fears in some people, and overruns others with insurmountable anxiety that more often than not, we chose the easy route. The path of least resistance seems like the better choice because the other path may lead to failure. Success, however, lies in that path that is laden with your fears. Because it is via that path filled with obstacles, setbacks and failure that we learn who we really are, what we’re made of and what we are truly capable of.
“Failures, repeated failures, are finger posts on the road to achievement. One fails forward toward success.”- C.S. Lewis
I am huge fan of Lewis’ and he couldn't have said it any better. We all have visions for ourselves. We all have dreams we want to chase. The thing is, there is no easy way because if it were, well, everyone would be doing it. You are going to have to face failure head on. Add some notches to your belt and become stronger, become wiser, become a better version of you. Once you do finally arrive at your “destination,” you’ll be able to look back on your journey and see all of those failures. They’ll represent amazing tests of character and will and you’ll know that you aced them. They gave your journey meaning and purpose instead of a bland stroll down the easy road.
This week I lifted with my coach. We did legs. I knew from rep number one that it was going to be one of those workouts that made you feel like you just wanted to quit. Regardless, we carried on and I was taken back to a forgotten feeling, that feeling of wanting to throw up. I’ll spare you the details of the workout, but the point of all this is that there was a moment of failure. It came on set 4 of squats. Loaded up 365lbs on my back and went down & up 2 times and then on the 3rd, it just wasn't happening. I went down, dropped the weight and felt that dreaded “F” word. Didn’t bother me one bit, however. I had grabbed that weight with every confidence that I was going to do it and if I didn’t, I would still be better for it
A little over a week ago, I competed in the WBFF Montreal. This was my first pro show so the whole weekend was a new experience for me. If you boil it down to its simplest form, I did not win. I didn’t even place top 10. Sure that could be considered a failure. but it all depends on how you look at the situation, however. Did I challenge myself? Did I meet some amazing people? Did I gain invaluable experience that will help me down the road? Affirmatives all around. I was able to look past the fear of “not winning” and the fear of “failure” and put myself in a situation that could only help me.
Arnold Schwarzenegger, the legend himself, shared some wise words a while back; his 6 Rules for Success. If you haven’t heard them, I implore you to look them up as they are not only inspiring but also great life lessons. Best of all, in my opinion, was #3. To summarize, it says;
“Don’t be afraid to fail … Or you will never push yourself.”
If we give into our fear of failure, we risk never reaching our full potential. There is no better teacher than failure. As the saying goes, “there are no failures in life, just lessons.” Each setback in your life is a stepping stone to unlocking your own personal greatness. Don’t be afraid of taking that risk. Trust in yourself and believe that you are strong enough to accomplish anything. At the end of the day, you’ll be thankful you took the risk, faced your fears and you’ll be a better version of you.
~ Daniel Guzman
Aspiring Fitness Motivator. WBFF Professional.
For added Fitness Motivation & Inspiration
