Sir Winston Churchill said, “Success is the ability to go from failure to failure without losing your enthusiasm”
Wow! What causes us to move forward despite taking one major hit after another? What picks us up when we have been knocked down? Is there a power that undergirds us when we have failed? Each of us has a level of tolerance that defines us and our willingness to keep going in the face of extreme discouragement of even defeat. This “level of tolerance” is learned over time. We engage in life as enthusiastic participants giving our all to succeed and when failure occurs we make a mark in our minds that establishes how far we can go safely. We are fencing in our own expectations for our lives. This lesson of self regulation is subtle but real and it limits our ability to be enthusiastic and forward looking.
We will FAIL!
Fear of failure is paralyzing. Many of us, me included, have been taught by people and our life experiences that any failure is a sign of absolute personal annihilation. We take on life by playing “not to lose” rather than playing “to win.” We are already beaten and we are just going through the motions of striving to be better as we await the predictable result—-FAILURE! Maybe, it is better to say that we have programmed ourselves accept the inevitable rather than even develop a “fear of failure.” We are so convinced that failure is the only outcome that we do not try to win. Bottom line here is that we WILL fail but that failure is not the bottom line nor is failure what we must accept as OUR reality.
Enthusiasm in the Face of Failure
The secret to avoiding debilitating failure after a setback is to have the “end game” firmly locked into place. We have to know WHAT we want and HOW we are going to go about attaining the thing we want. Developing a road map to success is the key to staying enthusiastic when we experience failure, after failure, after failure, after failure. The road map is our guide. It is our reassurance that we are on the right path. The knowledge that we are making progress despite the seeming crushing defeats provides an amazing boost to our confidence along the way.
I have had to invoke the admonition of my Bodybuilding Coach, Justin Dees who, on more than one occasion that I must “Trust the Process.” The points of discouragement for all of us who do bodybuilding are many. Most of the time our sticking points have to do with making size gains in our physiques, dieting for a contest, conditioning to lose that unwanted fat to get ready for the stage, selecting the best music, and ultimately remaining enthusiastic as we prepare to be better or to compete. When we find ourselves “under performing” we must remember to “to trust the process.” The Process is the road map that keeps us going. Knowing what we want and following the plan will keep us on the right path.
“Success is our ability to move from failure to failure without losing our enthusiasm.”——Sir Winston Churchill
This is what defines us. This is an ability that is learned. There is no other attitude that will carry us when failure is the order of the day.
Final Thought: Being our best is a choice and it is imperative that we accept failure, learn from it, keep our excitement paramount, and never lose track of where we are going, Keep moving and love the journey! It belongs only to you.
Until next time I remain:
Douglas E. Graham, Lt Col, USAF, (ret), MHSM
Six Pack and Senior 