Random musings and activities of a 30 something mom, potential sprint triathlete, vegetarian, dog and cat owner, and a evolving urban homesteader just trying to do the right thing in life for my daughter and the world around us. If the blog seems random, it's because life is and hits us all at 100mph.
Monday, March 09, 2009

PostHeaderIcon Success and Failure


The greatest barrier to success is the fear of failure.

People are scared of failing. Without even defining sometimes what success is, they are scared of not achieving it. For some, anything over a 4hr marathon is a failure. For others, simply finishing is a success.

It's a great sense of empowerment to decide that you won't let the fear stand in your way. When I tell people I have signed up for my first triathlon, most commonly I hear, "I couldn't even run a mile!" or "WHY?!?!?!?". What most people don't realize is that they COULD run a 5k if they needed, or even a mile. Most are so scared of failing that they don't even participate.

I'm training for my first triathlon. It's a sprint distance. To me, a successful tri is simply a finish. It's learning to swim as a 30-something and putting it together with running and cycling in one event. The fear of not being able to finish has kept me from trying so many things in life (beyond sports).

There comes a time where everyone looks at themselves and decides the fear is not going to control them, and I believe at that moment, you have already achieved success.

2 comments:

Mauricio Sanchez said...

Most often success is simply trying... getting to the start line! "The miracle is not that you finished the race. The miracle is that you had the courage to start"

Jen said...

I love that quote.... it never gets old :)

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Quotes as I come across them......

“Pain is temporary. It may last a minute, an hour, a day, or a year, but eventually it will subside and something else will take its place. If I quit, however, it last forever.” ~~~Lance Armstrong

"The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy." ~~~ Martin Luther King, Jr.

"I like running because it's a challenge. If you run hard, there's the pain----and you've got to work your way through the pain. You know, lately it seems all you hear is 'Don't overdo it' and 'Don't push yourself.' Well, I think that's a lot of bull. If you push the human body, it will respond." ~~~Bob Clarke, Philadelphia Flyers general manager, NHL Hall of Famer. (Will-Weber's "Voices From the Midpack" chapter.)

The reason most people never reach their goals is that they don’t define them, or ever seriously consider them as believable or achievable. Winners can tell you where they are going, what they plan to do along the way, and who will be sharing the adventure with them.~~~Denis Watley

Perhaps the most valuable result of all education is the ability to make yourself do the thing you have to do, when it ought to be done, whether you like it or not; it is the first lesson that ought to be learned; and however early a man's training begins, it is probably the last lesson that he learns thoroughly. ~~~Thomas H. Huxley (1825 - 1895)

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