Fail Your Way To Success

Hellooo friends!

Did you know that there’s a website called National Today with the months and the days of the year designated to people, and so many things? Every month has numerous, (and some wild!) designations, like National Service Dog Month, and National Velociraptor Awareness Month!

October 13th is International Day for Failure.

It’s a holiday created in Finland, a country where apparently they dislike screwing up. The philosophy is that making mistakes and failing is an invaluable part of a person’s growth and eventual success, even if the feeling of inadequacy really does suck.

So what does this have to do with strength and fitness?

Many of us have self-limiting beliefs. 

I can’t do this. I can’t do that. I’m not musical. I’m not artistic. I have weak wrists, I have bad balance, I have bad knees, I’m naturally bad at *fill in the blank*. Some negative self beliefs are fueled by unrealistic social media and our culture, and some even from doctors and practitioners who instill fear, hence failure. Fear of failure is the biggest obstacle to trying.

failure

It’s just the way I am. 

I’ve heard, “I have a slow metabolism.” “I don’t build muscle.” “I lack motivation.” “I’m not athletic.” A fixed identity isn’t real. We all change and evolve all the time, and our bodies and minds adapt amazingly well. We can become stronger, more flexible, and more mobile at any age. Unless we don’t try.

It’s a conscious choice – what we’ll consume, what we’ll do, what we’ll say, even what we believe – ultimately we choose who we’re becoming. Along the way we can choose mentors, who we’ll connect with, who we’ll trust, who we’ll believe.

Start with believing in yourself.

It’s my passion to instill positive self belief.

I can’t tell you how often I’ve heard “I can’t”, “I’m not”, “I’ve never been able to” …. Sadly, I have also heard, “I don’t care”, which means I don’t want to risk failing, so I won’t even start.

Yes you can.

There might be an internal narrative of “that’s just the way I am”, which leads to two things, both bad.

One, the odds of ever getting better are diminished, or totally annihilated. Two, even if we do change our behavior, at first we might not feel authentic to ourselves. For a while it does feel weird to inhabit a place that’s unfamiliar, like an art class, or a personal training session. This is where accountability (oh yeah, you gotta sign up!), and persistence (keep signing up!) will pay off.

“I’m not ever going to be strong”. Someone said that to me the other day, and it was heartbreaking.

The number of people who are born with genetics for high level performance is microscopically small. Your strength is YOURS.

Just about everything most of us do is the result of effort and practice. It’s true that some things are easier for some folks, but nothing worth doing is easy for anyone.

Physical strength is empowering in more than athletic performance. With physical strength we become empowered in relationships, business, and all aspects of everyday life.

Let’s do this together.

Onward~

Polli

 

 

 

 

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