I’ll bet a lot of you read that title and thought “Okay, Demarco is losing it. Quarantine is starting to really get to him…” Hear me out. When you win, what do you think about? Whether it’s hitting a personal best, making a sale, winning a game or any other achievement, you feel joy. Part of that is the release of dopamine, as well as the satisfaction of reaching our goal after putting in tons of hard work. You always go over what went right, but do you discuss mistakes that were made? While high-achievers are likely critical of mistakes despite the outcome, I’d venture to guess that most of us celebrate the victory and move on.
While we all love to win and succeed, the knowledge and wisdom come from the failure and loss. When you take a shot and miss, all you have to think about is what went right so you can replicate next time, and what went wrong so you can course-correct in the future. Failing hurts, it’s not fun. I’d be lying to you if I said I enjoyed losing. I appreciate and love the learning that comes from it though, as it enables me to rise above and become better than before. The first time I attempted a pistol squat, I fell to the floor. The first two businesses I started went under. Yet every time, I learned and subsequently came back stronger and wiser.
While it’s never fun to revisit past failures, a tremendous amount of learning occurred as a result. My first pistol squat attempt showed me that my balance needed work and my ankles needed more mobility. My first two business failures taught me the value of systems, consistency and building a strong team.
I challenge you to not be too timid. Once you’ve established your goal, set a tentative plan in place and then move forward. You’ll make plenty of mistakes. See them as they are, lessons to be learned. Learn, apply, grow. On the other side of every “failure” is a lesson waiting to be learned. Why do we fall? So that we can learn to pick ourselves up. Sorry guys, I had to!
To your lifelong health and success,
-Demarco
