Afraid to Fail? Don't Be, It's Necessary.
Do you fear failure? Are you one of those people I hear on a daily basis say, "I can't do it"? If you are, take a step back and reevaluate how you plan to progress. Not just in the gym, but in everyday life. What's holding you back? The "F" word... Failure?
In the gym, there are many things that keep us from attaining our goals, but the single biggest limiting factor is being afraid to fail. Whether it's not wanting to look foolish or not accomplishing your goals at that very moment in time, fear creeps in and the reality of not living up to yours and others expectations is what's holding you back.
I see it all the time when training people. Things can be going well during during a session, and all the sudden, I'll see a blank stare come on their face and all the momentum is gone. FEAR has taken over. "Why don't you want to try 10 more pounds?", the answer, "It's just below my PR." "Great, but why don't we take a shot at a new PR?", the answer, "I can't do it." WTF?
People are afraid to push themselves outside their comfort zone and really see what they're made of. The phrase, "I can't" really gets me. How do you know you can't do something if you've never tried it? You can't run that distance, or pick up that weight because you think in your head that it's going to be too tough, or even worse, someone else tried it and couldn't do it, so therefore you can't do it? BS!
That mentallity is what holds us back. You've never signed up for that CrossFit class, you've never run that race, you've never gone rock climbing, you've never started that project in the yard, why? The self defeating attitude of "I can't" kills it everytime.
My point here is that sometimes we need to fail to show us our limits. Don't guess at our limits, actually find them. If you never fail then you have no idea what your true potential is. How do we surpass ourselves and get better at anything in life? We learn from our mistakes and our failures to help us succeed the next time we're presented with a problem or an obstacle.
Failure is constructive and don't be affraid of it. Get out there and push yourself and find your limits.
Nate Steele
Co-Owner/Lead Trainer
CrossFit 630
670 W. 5th Ave. Unit 108
Naperville, IL 60563
(630) 791-0498
