Fit-to-Fat-to-Fit Blog: Day 5

Failure — a : omission of occurrence or performance; specifically : a failing to perform a duty or expected action.

When I do an exercise, I want to do it the best I possibly can.  I don’t want to let my coach down. I don’t want to let my teammates down. And I especially don’t want to let myself down.  I expect more out of myself. I have lofty goals and the will to achieve them.

And when I don’t do an exercise well?  I’m disappointed.

Sure, I know some folks would say, “Well, you got out bed, so that makes you better than most.”

Not good enough.

One thing about doing Fit4Change is that you will eventually come to some exercise that is your Waterloo. (Historical reference for all of you going, “huh?”) Last year it was the treadmill and the towels. This morning, I didn’t do well in the aerobics room.  My upper body is tired and sore from yesterday.  I’m full of lactic acid. I aggravated an old rotator cuff injury. I can give you a thousand other excuses why I had a bad performance.

They are all crap.

I failed.  Plain and simply. I did not perform up to expectations. And that failure doesn’t mean its time to beat myself up. It means I need to sit down and say, “OK, what can I do better next time?”

It’s a truth that extends far beyond a basketball court before dawn.  It’s a lesson you should grasp onto every single day of your life.

When you fail, learn from it. Come back smarter and stronger. Then try something new. And when you fail again, rinse and repeat.

That’s how you grow. That’s how you win. That’s how you go from fit-to-fat-to-fit.