“Far better is it to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure… than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy nor suffer much, because they live in a gray twilight that knows not victory nor defeat.”—Theodore Roosevelt
The other night, I was catching the lacrosse ball with my son. I had to push him a bit to use his long pole. He has played a lot of goalie, and, this year he has moved to playing midfield. He has the speed, size, and developing ball handling skills to be a good long stick middie (i.e., “LSM”). He is finally getting comfortable playing the field and shooting. I talked him about his desire to play LSM, and he gave his patent response: “I don’t know.” I pressed him, and asked why he is uncertain. He said he wasn’t “comfortable with the long pole, yet”. We had a little talk about being beyond our comfort level.
I try to teach my children that success comes from always pushing beyond that with which one is comfortable. It is not easy for an adult to understand this, let alone a 12-year-old and a 9-year-old. Heck, I struggle with it. Nonetheless, it is the only way to be (extra)ordinary. No one does great things being comfortable. One must push beyond the fears and uncertainties on a regular—daily—basis to achieve.
I don’t want my kids to fear failure. I want them to embrace failure. Failure always precedes success—unless, of course, failure is the result of not trying. To the one who is willing to try, failure is likely. When we try, and fail, we learn. We grow and get better. Fear subsides and confidence builds.
“There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work, and learning from failure” (Colin Powell). It is no secret, but the reality is often ignored.
We get better by trying—by doing. Of course, we will fail at first. If it is comfortable, it is not sufficiently challenging. So, go and fail at something.
Be your best today; be better tomorrow.
Carpe momento!