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Lee Labrada Discusses Why Failure is a Process and How to Use It To Move Forward
From Lee Labrada
Have you failed to achieve your bodybuilding goals? Are you discouraged as a result and want to do away with your whole bodybuilding progress? If so, this article is for you. Let me start by discussing how you should view failure.
Failure is a Process
And, what do I mean by "failure is a process?" Failure is not a permanent condition unless we let it become a permanent condition. Imagine a gentleman who after having experienced a temporary success in controlling his weight, lapsed into a period where he gained weight, lost motivation, and generally got "de-conditioned". In other words, he got back into bad shape!
He could have chosen to persist in this mode and, and for a while, he did. But, instead of staying in failure, he tried again, with a different approach. The new approach was temporarily successful but, once again, he lapsed. Instead of throwing in the towel, he changed his approach once again, and this time, he succeeded.
This man now enjoys an ongoing fitness lifestyle, having incorporated proper nutrition and training into his daily routine. He's reaping the fruits of his labor. He has a better self-image, he relates better to others, he enjoys abundant health and energy. Had this person thought of failing as a terminal condition, he wouldn't be what he is today.
I'm going to introduce a term, which I have borrowed from author, John Maxwell. And, that term is "failing forward". This term is taken from John Maxwell's new book of the same title. Excellent book, which I strongly recommend. Maxwell stipulates, "The difference between average people and achieving people is their perception of and response to failure."
When achievers fail, they see it only as a momentary event, not a lifelong epidemic. And, it's not personal. Because you encounter a failure, you, yourself are not a failure. Faced with adversity, rejection, and failings, winners continue to persevere despite setbacks, and this is how they become winners, by refusing to think of themselves as failures. There is no famous person, nor anyone that has achieved anything of significance in any field, that has not failed at one time or another. It's how they have dealt with failure that has made them a success.
Never tell yourself, "I am a failure." Instead, tell yourself, "I have failed at something. But, I am going to do something about it." There is simply no achievement without failure. The question is not whether you will have problems, because you will; it's how you deal with your problems when they arise that will determine your lot in life.
Sure, sometimes we have curve balls thrown at us by life. But, it is how we deal with those curve balls that makes us or breaks us. Some see the glass as half full, others see the glass as half empty. The real path to success is in always looking for the opportunity in the inevitable little failures along the way.
I akin it to the process of taking two steps forward, then one step back. We're going to fail from time to time (i.e., one step back). But as long as we don't view failure as permanent, we try again and accomplish (two steps forward). The end result is that we continually make progress. We continually improve ourselves. And, by improving ourselves, we find the happiness that we're looking for.
Reasons Why I Feel People Fail?
1. Unrealistic Expectations
I think that part of the reason people fail is that they have unrealistic expectations. There are no shortcuts to obtaining great physical conditioning and health. Optimal physical conditioning and health are the result of a lifetime commitment to proper training and nutrition. In our "fast results now" society, we expect things to happen quickly and effortlessly. We then expect to move on without another thought, without ever having to work at our goal again.
Great physical shape is an ongoing process. You're either getting better or you are sliding back. There's no such thing as status quo in a living organism. The key, then, is to get on a program that you can live with, a program that you can incorporate into your life and stick with.
Can you imagine not brushing your teeth every day? Your approach to exercise and nutrition should be the same. We should stop thinking of diets and exercise programs as temporary measures that we take in order to lose a few pounds. We should approach conditioning as a lifetime commitment, a lifetime program. Kind of like brushing your teeth every day.
Training and nutrition should be worked on each and every day, knowing that the investment we make in these areas will pay off in rich dividends in the way that we look, feel, and become more productive members of society. "Whoa!", you might say, "Productive members of society? That's a far-reaching statement."
Yes, because if you look good, are in good health, and feel good about yourself, then you'll be more productive at work, you will be happier in your relationships with your friends and your family, and consequently, you will be a more productive, contributing member of society, making the world a better place for all. And, it all starts by working on yourself.
2. No Bodybuilding Goals
I believe that another reason people fail is that they do not have goals. Now, I'm not going to go into a "rah! rah!" speech about goal setting. It's really very basic stuff. You pick a realistic goal for yourself, you write it down, and then you write it into your heart. By writing it into your heart, I mean assimilating it. It has to be more than writing a goal on a piece of scrap paper and forgetting about it, relegating it to gather dust on a corner of your desk. By writing it into your heart, I mean bringing it into your being so that it becomes a part of you, so that it becomes an overwhelming desire that is too painful not to pursue.
Keep your goal simple. Perhaps it's losing a few pounds. Perhaps it's increasing the amount of weight that you handle in exercise. Perhaps it's just accomplishing a commitment to yourself to workout three or four times a week. But, the important thing is to have a goal, to write it down in your heart, and to make yourself accountable. Enough said.
3. No Support System
Another reason that I believe people fail is because they don't have adequate support systems. It's really helpful when you have friends that like the same things that you do, that engage in the same types of activities that you do. At the end of the day, we are social creatures. And, it is important to us in order to develop fitness as a lifestyle, to find and develop friendships with like-minded people.
Conclusion
I hope that in some way I have been able to provide you with some of this support system. You can count on me to e-mail you every week to provide support. Know that I am in your corner. I get great satisfaction out of watching others succeed and from seeing people transform their lives using sound exercise and nutrition. It's a great feeling to see the butterfly emerge from the cocoon, so to speak. To watch people with a little extra spring in their step, and to know that perhaps you've made the world a better place.
In closing, people fail because they have misconceptions about failure and because they view failure as terminal. Remember that failure is just an opportunity to learn, make adjustments, and try again to succeed. Set yourself up for success. It all begins in your mind.
From Lee Labrada
Have you failed to achieve your bodybuilding goals? Are you discouraged as a result and want to do away with your whole bodybuilding progress? If so, this article is for you. Let me start by discussing how you should view failure.
Failure is a Process
And, what do I mean by "failure is a process?" Failure is not a permanent condition unless we let it become a permanent condition. Imagine a gentleman who after having experienced a temporary success in controlling his weight, lapsed into a period where he gained weight, lost motivation, and generally got "de-conditioned". In other words, he got back into bad shape!
He could have chosen to persist in this mode and, and for a while, he did. But, instead of staying in failure, he tried again, with a different approach. The new approach was temporarily successful but, once again, he lapsed. Instead of throwing in the towel, he changed his approach once again, and this time, he succeeded.
This man now enjoys an ongoing fitness lifestyle, having incorporated proper nutrition and training into his daily routine. He's reaping the fruits of his labor. He has a better self-image, he relates better to others, he enjoys abundant health and energy. Had this person thought of failing as a terminal condition, he wouldn't be what he is today.
I'm going to introduce a term, which I have borrowed from author, John Maxwell. And, that term is "failing forward". This term is taken from John Maxwell's new book of the same title. Excellent book, which I strongly recommend. Maxwell stipulates, "The difference between average people and achieving people is their perception of and response to failure."
When achievers fail, they see it only as a momentary event, not a lifelong epidemic. And, it's not personal. Because you encounter a failure, you, yourself are not a failure. Faced with adversity, rejection, and failings, winners continue to persevere despite setbacks, and this is how they become winners, by refusing to think of themselves as failures. There is no famous person, nor anyone that has achieved anything of significance in any field, that has not failed at one time or another. It's how they have dealt with failure that has made them a success.
Never tell yourself, "I am a failure." Instead, tell yourself, "I have failed at something. But, I am going to do something about it." There is simply no achievement without failure. The question is not whether you will have problems, because you will; it's how you deal with your problems when they arise that will determine your lot in life.
Sure, sometimes we have curve balls thrown at us by life. But, it is how we deal with those curve balls that makes us or breaks us. Some see the glass as half full, others see the glass as half empty. The real path to success is in always looking for the opportunity in the inevitable little failures along the way.
I akin it to the process of taking two steps forward, then one step back. We're going to fail from time to time (i.e., one step back). But as long as we don't view failure as permanent, we try again and accomplish (two steps forward). The end result is that we continually make progress. We continually improve ourselves. And, by improving ourselves, we find the happiness that we're looking for.
Reasons Why I Feel People Fail?
1. Unrealistic Expectations
I think that part of the reason people fail is that they have unrealistic expectations. There are no shortcuts to obtaining great physical conditioning and health. Optimal physical conditioning and health are the result of a lifetime commitment to proper training and nutrition. In our "fast results now" society, we expect things to happen quickly and effortlessly. We then expect to move on without another thought, without ever having to work at our goal again.
Great physical shape is an ongoing process. You're either getting better or you are sliding back. There's no such thing as status quo in a living organism. The key, then, is to get on a program that you can live with, a program that you can incorporate into your life and stick with.
Can you imagine not brushing your teeth every day? Your approach to exercise and nutrition should be the same. We should stop thinking of diets and exercise programs as temporary measures that we take in order to lose a few pounds. We should approach conditioning as a lifetime commitment, a lifetime program. Kind of like brushing your teeth every day.
Training and nutrition should be worked on each and every day, knowing that the investment we make in these areas will pay off in rich dividends in the way that we look, feel, and become more productive members of society. "Whoa!", you might say, "Productive members of society? That's a far-reaching statement."
Yes, because if you look good, are in good health, and feel good about yourself, then you'll be more productive at work, you will be happier in your relationships with your friends and your family, and consequently, you will be a more productive, contributing member of society, making the world a better place for all. And, it all starts by working on yourself.
2. No Bodybuilding Goals
I believe that another reason people fail is that they do not have goals. Now, I'm not going to go into a "rah! rah!" speech about goal setting. It's really very basic stuff. You pick a realistic goal for yourself, you write it down, and then you write it into your heart. By writing it into your heart, I mean assimilating it. It has to be more than writing a goal on a piece of scrap paper and forgetting about it, relegating it to gather dust on a corner of your desk. By writing it into your heart, I mean bringing it into your being so that it becomes a part of you, so that it becomes an overwhelming desire that is too painful not to pursue.
Keep your goal simple. Perhaps it's losing a few pounds. Perhaps it's increasing the amount of weight that you handle in exercise. Perhaps it's just accomplishing a commitment to yourself to workout three or four times a week. But, the important thing is to have a goal, to write it down in your heart, and to make yourself accountable. Enough said.
3. No Support System
Another reason that I believe people fail is because they don't have adequate support systems. It's really helpful when you have friends that like the same things that you do, that engage in the same types of activities that you do. At the end of the day, we are social creatures. And, it is important to us in order to develop fitness as a lifestyle, to find and develop friendships with like-minded people.
Conclusion
I hope that in some way I have been able to provide you with some of this support system. You can count on me to e-mail you every week to provide support. Know that I am in your corner. I get great satisfaction out of watching others succeed and from seeing people transform their lives using sound exercise and nutrition. It's a great feeling to see the butterfly emerge from the cocoon, so to speak. To watch people with a little extra spring in their step, and to know that perhaps you've made the world a better place.
In closing, people fail because they have misconceptions about failure and because they view failure as terminal. Remember that failure is just an opportunity to learn, make adjustments, and try again to succeed. Set yourself up for success. It all begins in your mind.