To Win You Must Fail

Today's motivation is about how we fail and get knocked down in attempt to meet our goals, but through patients and hard work we eventually reach those goals and exceed further.

There are going to be days when you get huge gains towards your goal and then there are going to be days when you don't move or even move back. We will all get "on and off the train" to our success, but it is the people that continue to get back on that reach their long term goals and keep them.

Just the other day I was doing dead lifts as part of my workout and I have seen videos of people my size or slightly heavier lifting 550 pounds! I automatically set my goal really high and to my surprise I could barely get in six repetitions of 160 pounds. It hurt my back and I got frustrated and quit. Later, I went back on to look at those videos again and I learned a lot. I learned how important dead lifts are and how to maintain proper form so you don't strain your back. A few days later I tried the dead lift again and maxed at 200 pounds. Still not even half of 550, but I won't let that get to my head! Once a week I am maxing it now in hopes to maybe, just maybe, lift 550 pounds one day.

So it has been pretty clear in some of my lasts posts, I get a lot of my inspiration from Elliott Hulse. Here's a video he just put out talking about failing to win.

Fig. 1 Fail First by strengthcamp on www.youtube.com (Elliott Hulse)

Of course this is not how you should train every day. Most people will find their limits once every two weeks and see their progress. The type of failure you should hit every workout is "I can't do another rep" instead of "I can't even lift this once". But Elliott Hulse has a lot to say about about overcoming the fear to fail. You must be courageous! Make yourself fail so that you know what goal is next and then reach that goal no matter what by training!

Fig. 2 Rocky Balboa's Inspirational Speech, uploaded by Vimal Kumar on www.youtube.com

Sylvester Stallone as Rocky made a great inspirational speech in one of his movies about life hitting you harder than anything else and that it doesn't matter how hard you hit back, it matters how hard you get him and keep moving. He said:

"Let me tell you something you already know. The world ain't all sunshine and rainbows. It's a very mean and nasty place and I don't care how tough you are it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it. You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain't about how hard ya hit, it's about how hard you can get it and keep moving forward. How much you can take and keep moving forward. That's how winning is done! Now if you know what you're worth then go out and get what you're worth. But you gotta be willing to take the hits, and not be pointing fingers saying you ain't where you wanna be because of him, or her, or anybody! Cowards do that and that ain't you! You're better than that!" - Rocky Balboa (2006)

So keep getting back up. You can fall down, but don't let yourself stay there. Every failure is a new goal for you to work towards achieving.

Blog Question:
When have you set a goal way too high for yourself, but still achieved it over time through hard work? How long did it take? How impossible did it seem when you first tried it?