I am 30 years old and I’m not claiming to know a lot, but I do know a few things. I know that I fail all the time, even with the best of intentions and maximal effort. It is just one of those things that is inevitable. I am ok with that. I have had really bad days, and had amazingly good days. I have had really bad months and really good ones. I have watched friends and family go through the highest points in their lives and also the lowest points in their lives. Some of these things were caused by failures, and some by unfortunate circumstances out of our control.
Sunshine on his shoulders.
I want to speak about very simple failures in our day to day lives, because I believe that the small ones magnify and lead to the larger ones. Let’s take one workout, for example. There will be a few reps that you or I will miss, or maybe you come in with a slower time than you anticipated. I will be the first to say that I get pissed when this happens. My self talk will sound something like, “You Idiot, I can’t believe you missed that rep.” Many times some four letter expletive will follow with a stomp, kick, or grunt.
I specifically remember this happening the other day on a pistol (one-legged squat) attempt, which is movement that I am awful at performing. I decided it would be a good idea to kick a barbell with plates loaded on it. Well… that hurt. Then, I continued on in the workout.
I thought about this event later and made a decision. Did it really matter that I missed that pistol? Was this Game 7 of the World Series, bottom of the ninth, 2 outs? Absolutely not. What good did it do to be hard on myself? That is an easy answer… None. From that day on, when I miss a rep (have a small failure), I am going to smile. The one thing that is more powerful than any negative feeling is a genuine smile. And to be honest even if it doesn’t feel completely genuine at that moment of small failure, I am better for making the attempt, and that is plenty reason to smile.
So, I encourage you to spend some time smiling. Bring them with you to class. You might just need one or two. One of the best quotes I have ever read is below. I wish that I could meet the person that wrote this and give them credit, and a big cheeser smile, of course.
“Every day you spend without a smile, is a lost day.” -Anonymous
Cheers to no lost days!
Danny Lesslie
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Saturday’s Workout:
Hang Power Clean
5-5-3-3-1-1
