Failure sucks, but it is how we learn

I read or was told a great quip recently. “You learn from getting beat or losing, not from winning.” Whether you truly believe this little note doesn’t really matter to me. After digesting this bit of information I decided to go back and look at some of the best lessons I’ve learned over the years. Trust me, I want to believe that winning creates winning. We’ve all heard the previous line and really feel that it must be true. If we look deeper the attitude created from winning leads to the positivity that allows us to use the losing lessons. Once we have the taste of winning that’s all we want from that moment forward. Think about it; we eat hot dogs but can always see and taste a succulent steak sizzling on the grill. Once we have greatness we only want that even when we have to put up with crap (getting beat) at other times. Now back to learning the lessons. I’ve been beaten in every sport I’ve ever competed in. In most of those sports I became very good because I got to the point that I didn’t want to taste the hot dog any more. I learned what I could do and what I couldn’t do and mastered what I could and did it extremely well. To this day I haven’t mastered golf. I have figured out how to suck and I hate it. I’ve learned that without major amounts of practice I will never be the golfer I want to be. Does that mean I am quitting or giving up my job to hit the range full-time? Nope, it just means that I play golf for the social atmosphere and for the challenge of bettering myself on each course I tackle. I also race motorcycles off road. When I first started I was quite a few years younger and just knew that I was going to be a pro. Well, as I approach 40 I have learned that I am just not fast enough for that pursuit. The best lesson I have learned is that I don’t suck. I have a good skill set but just lack the raw speed that youth and years of experience brings to the table. As I enter my 40’s the challenges become fresh. After failing to ever win a race and getting pummeled by guys who are better risk takers I am beginning a new chapter. Guys my own age are now my target. Does this lessen the excitement, cheapen the thrill? Hell no, it only makes all those failures more of a driving force for me to want to succeed in my new class. Sometimes failure teaches hard lessons and we need more than one of those lessons to succeed. From the time I was 16-19 I got three speeding tickets. The failures to use speed control became expensive. Since that last ticket in Paducah, KY I have realized how nice it is to be a safe driver. The failures also taught me that the time gained speeding is all lost on a shoulder with some friendly state trooper at 2am. Lastly, I fail repeatedly when I workout. I read recently that “it doesn’t get easier, you just get better.” As comforting as that message is, I really don’t enjoy failing at a particular weight or rep. The losing is actually teaching my body to become stronger. I may continue to fail but if I go back to the old weight and same rep weeks from now it will appear to be a feather I am lifting. That lesson of failure gives me the drive I need to push through each day. Whether it is the embarrassment of pushing 100 pounds less than the guy next to me, my white belly poking out next to the fit athlete, or me sucking air while others look so happy, I will continue to fail because that winning feeling will be one that I never let go of once I have it in my grasp. Speaking of working out: Today’s little ditty was a doozy. 4 rounds with each one timed of 9 thrusters, 12 pull ups, and 15 handstand push ups Let’s just say I failed my way through but I did it to the best of my ability and to failure. Round 1: 4:00 minutes- 9 at 35 lbs, 11 at 70 lbs of assistance, and 15 at 60 degree angle Round 2: 4:32 minutes-9 at 55 lbs, 12 at 85 lbs of assistance, and 14 at 60 degree angle Round 3: 4:10 minutes-8 at 55 lbs, 10 at 85 lbs of assistance, and 11 at 60 degrees and 4 at 45 degrees Round 4: 4:25 minutes-6 at 55 lbs, 6 at 85 lbs and 5 at 100 lbs of assistance, and 6 at 45 degree and 9 flat. Oh yeah, I sucked but I am getting stronger. It’s not just a phrase, it is the truth. Your perspective must change.