Fertilizer can play an important role in replenishing soil of
depleted nutrients. Organic fertilizers (like chicken manure) have been
known to improve soil life and the productivity of soil, even improving
plants absorption of essential nutrients. Fertilizer can be very
important to a plant’s overall success and growth. Similarly, our own
failure can be used as fertilizer. Failure plays just as important a
role in our own development as fertilizer plays a crucial role in a
plant’s developement. Failure is essential to one’s growth and
ultimately, success in anything they pursue. This, of course,
is only true of those who take failure for what it is, an opportunity to
flourish. Winners focus on the rewards, Losers focus on the penalties. How do
you view a perceived failure? Negatively, like a penalty given for
playing the game of chance, or with optimism?
I started applying this mentality in my training. Not in some feel good,
have a smile on your face way, but in my own mindset of how I approach my training and my coaching. The first thing I immediately
changed with this new perspective was to take risks. I tend to be
conservative in my workouts. I will hold back the slightest bit because I
am worried about my energy reserves for the remainder of the workout.
However, after deciding to take more risks, I have reaped many benefits. Instead of pacing myself in a
workout, I will push myself harder than ever. Instead of approaching the
workout with doubt in my abilities, I approach the training session with
the view of taking away a new lesson on how to listen to my body, push
myself to break through that wall and how to hold on for one more rep.
Missing a lift isn’t so terrrifying now, it is just another opportunity
to improve on my movement pattern. Coming off the bar during pull-ups
doesn’t mean that I'm a failure, it just means that I will take more
opportunities to work on cycling my pull-up rhythm. The crazy thing is,
this approach has actually worked! Not only have I improved my
performance, but my attitude for training has been reinvigorated!
There is a Chinese proverb that states, “Be not afraid of going slowly, be
afraid only of standing still."
It is this mindset that distinguishes elite athletes from others;
their approach to their own shortcomings. No elite athlete has arrived
at their peak without taking risks and facing failure. It is what they
have done with their failures that has produced their success.
Far better is it to dare mighty things,
to win glorious triumphs,
even though chequered by failure,
than to take rank with those poor spirits
who neither enjoy much nor suffer much,
because they live in the grey twilight
that knows not victory or defeat.
- Theodore Roosevelt
-Dr. Human
