Fail to succeed

One of the things I've learned over the course of getting back into shape is the need to fail. Failure is the KEY to development. I think we all realize that to do anything at a high level we have to push things a bit. The part we sometimes don't get is that pushing the envelope means that we will encounter failure. How one deals with this failure is ultimately the key to moving forward or stagnating. Do you see it as something you can change? or is it some fixed shortcoming. In the past I've tried running but encountered injury or limited cardio capability and my old answer was often "well you are just not built that run". To be frank that was a cop out. Worse when we believe that one can't change we tend to avoid the behaviour, be it running or weight loss and then things actually get worse and you create a self fulfilling prophecy.  My success didn't come until I realized that failure were lessons, walk before you run (literally) take walk breaks, adequate rest etc. All these failures have taught me to understand my body and how to get to be a runner. The same was true of my weight loss. I've know this intellectually for ages but only recently internalized it and put it into action in regard to fitness and weight loss. Psychologists often refer to this as a growth mindset vs a fixed mindset. There is a lot of great evidence out there that one's effort and motivation is often tied very closely to this belief that one can grow. I'm a strong believer that their are no gifted people just those who work hard, work smart, and have access to opportunity etc. Yes, in some cases genetics helps or creates boundaries, but those boundaries are often very large and for most of us will never be out real limiters. There are some good popular books out today that take a lot of this literature and boil it down to some key elements. If you get the chance check out the Talent Code by Daniel Coyle or Bounce by Matthew Syed. So this week give yourself the chance to fail and reap the benefits down the road.