Success in Failure

Winston Churchill is quoted as saying; Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.

I failed. I failed to live up to my own expectations. I know that I am not the first, nor will I be the last. We have all hit our wall or a point that we knew we could do better. It is at this point that we must choose to succeed by trying again, becoming who we want to be, or creating what it is that we expect our finished product to be.

Have you ever tried to accomplish a task, only to reach an obstacle? Did you write your attempt off as something you would never try again, or did you take your failure as a challenge to improve?

Most of us are perfectionists to some level. We want to better ourselves in some way. We want to be good at what we do, to feel good about who we are, and be proud of ourselves and our accomplishments.

Back to my failure. It was nothing that affected anyone other than myself. I recently tested for my red belt in my self defense class. At this level, it was a physically demanding test. (Not that others haven’t been.) I had let my cardio training slide after recovering from some minor injuries, and I paid the price. I was out of breath and embarrassed at my performance. The price I paid was a dent in my ego, because I knew better. I had done well in previous tests and even performed well in assisting my Master Instructor in his 5th Degree test. I knew at some level that I would do okay, but okay was not good enough.

I completed my test for my red belt, passed to the next level, but I also relearned a valuable lesson. I must continue to sharpen my skills. In order for me to succeed at the level I hold myself to, I must use my failure as a lesson and move on. Some of you may say that this is not a big deal, or that it is not all that important, but to me it is. It is that desire and drive to better ourselves, that keeps us from falling backwards.

Don’t let your struggles in life set you back. Be a warrior, stand out from the crowd and find that desire that makes you proud of who it is you want to be or what you want to do.

I am also a foodie. What does this have to do with failure? Many times it is in the creation of a recipe that the finished product is the result of, “What can I do to fix this”? Sometimes it is through these failures that we realize our mistakes and make the necessary changes to succeed in the desired outcome.

Whatever your test (failure), in life may be, do not give up.

Do not become a victim of failure.

Succeed by trying again.

Every bit of forward progress makes you better, stronger, and more prepared to obtain your success through failure.

In fitness, Bob

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Are you hungry?

Have you ever thought about the difference between hunger and appetite? You might think they are one in the same, however they are not. Hunger, quite simply put, is the need for food. Appetite is a desire for food.

If we did not listen to the demands of mood and had no external stimuli to suggest we were hungry, our brain would let us know when to eat. Thanks to marketing strategies, suggestions are around every corner. Marketing works. We see advertisements on TV, in magazines, on bill boards, buses, taxis, you name it, it is out there. How many times have you ordered something to eat because of the smell, sight, or a description of the pleasure you will experience?

Melting, gooey cheese, slowly dripping from a hand tossed, authentic pizza. Or how about a fresh cinnamon roll,  hot steam escaping the first piece as it is pulled away. Maybe it is the visibly fresh char marks in the final glaze of a sweet, tangy and mildly spiced piece of meat that is cooked to perfection over an open, smokey flame. This is appetite.

These wants, or desires, can and will occur at anytime, not just when you are hungry, and may not disappear after eating unless you have overindulged. At this time, you may feel good about what you ate, or you could feel guilty and ashamed.

Now let us look at hunger. Hunger is the biological response to what we need due to energy demands, low blood sugar, an empty tank, (stomach), or a need for warmth. Food should primarily be an energy source, not an excessive luxury.

If you have read my bio, then you know I like to eat. There is however a huge difference between need and want. All I am trying to do is to have you consider why you eat what you do, how often or how much. Do not get into the habit of rewarding yourself with food. Animals are trained this way, and if you are not careful , you may be training yourself for failure.

In fitness, Bob