The Sound Of Failure

*The title of this post was taken from The Flaming Lips song of the same name*

How does failure feel to you?

If you’ve eaten something that didn’t coincide with your diet plan, do you feel like a failure?

Does it affect your self-worth?

If you go to work out where you’re told to do twelve reps and you can only do six, are you left defeated?

Does it make you feel weak?

Do you ever find yourself in this perpetual cycle of being sub-par at the things you think you should be good at or should come easy to you?

I look back on my life and I’ve failed miserably at a lot of things.

Jobs, relationships, social ineptitude which led to a decade long bout of drug addiction, the list goes on.

Even at RevFit there have been failures galore: attempting to open a second location (in 2011), massive marketing failures that ate up a lot of expense at no monetary gain, and if I’m being brutally honest with myself, I fail every time I can’t help a client lose weight or reach their respective goals.

So, why haven’t I just succumbed to my own insecurities and misfires and just closed my doors?

Because I am terribly stubborn.

I believe success is around every corner.

I believe consistency and calculated perseverance will prevail.

I believe if I continue to educate myself and surround myself with people brighter than me that I will learn what I need to improve not only my life but the lives of those around me.

I’ve also come to embrace failure.

Failure has taught me great lessons.

It has taught me more compassion and less selfishness.

It has taught me that the things I value in life can be taken away from me in an instant.

And it has taught me to look at success through a slightly difference lens.

If I succeed, there is a greater mountain climb. I will equip myself with what I need to climb OR I will slip down the mountain and figure out another path up.

Failure has taught me I can’t do these things alone.

I prefer family, friends, and mentors to shine a light.

And I challenge you to accept failure too.

Allow it to inspire you.

Re-frame it so you can learn what not to repeat in your life.

Realize that many things you might consider failures are simply streetlights illuminating your path.

You can go “this” way or you can go “that” way.

But failure will not define you.

You were destined for greater things.

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