September 19th, 2023

Coach Ashley

Is fear of failure stopping you?

During a three-day competition this past week, I was challenged to embrace failure as part of the learning process, and it was humbling. One particular workout required me to attempt a 185 lb clean and jerk, which was 15 lbs over my PR. Initially, I lacked self-belief and failed probably 15 times, but I chose not to accept defeat and pushed past my limiting beliefs. After reframing my mindset and many attempts, I was able to successfully hit this lift five times!

When it comes to our health journey, failure is not only possible but inevitable. We set goals for ourselves, make plans, and sometimes things don’t go as planned. But the way we react to failure can have a profound impact on our overall progress.

One common factor that often holds us back from achieving our health goals is limiting beliefs. These are beliefs that we hold about ourselves that are based on fear, doubt, or past experiences. These beliefs can include things like “I’m not disciplined enough,” or “I can’t stick to a plan.” These beliefs can be powerful, and they can create an identity we think we are, making it difficult for us to move forward and make progress.

However, it’s important to recognize that these beliefs are not true. They are simply thoughts that we have accepted as true based on our experiences and perceptions. And the good news is that we have the power to change them.

But changing limiting beliefs requires us to step outside of our comfort zones and take risks. It requires us to try new things, make mistakes, and experience failure. This can be scary and uncomfortable, but it’s essential if we want to break free from our limiting beliefs and achieve our health goals.

When we experience failure, we have a choice. We can either give up and let our limiting beliefs take over, or we can use failure as an opportunity to learn and grow. The second option is much more powerful. By reframing failure as a learning opportunity, we can use it to break through our limiting beliefs and make progress.

For example, let’s say you set a goal to exercise for 30 minutes every day but miss a day due to a busy schedule. If you let your limiting beliefs take over, you might think “I knew I couldn’t stick to this,” and give up on your goal entirely. But if you reframe failure as a learning opportunity, you might think “Okay, I missed a day. What can I do differently next time to make sure I stick to my goal?” Maybe you could try exercising in the morning before your day gets too busy or scheduling your workouts in advance to make sure they don’t get pushed aside.

By using failure as a learning opportunity, we can break through our limiting beliefs and make progress toward our health goals. We can learn from our mistakes, adjust our strategies, and ultimately achieve success. So the next time you experience failure on your health journey, remember that it’s not the end of the road. It’s an opportunity to learn, grow, and ultimately break through your limiting beliefs.