Extra Points ~ Fail Hard

There is a consistent theme that governs all athletics, especially those that are contact sports. It’s the notion that if you are going less than 100% for any reason (e.g. fear of getting hurt, trepidation), then you’re far more likely to get hurt. Those going full speed have essentially put their bodies in the best possible position to deal with impact and stress, thus avoiding their biggest enemy of getting hurt.The same is true in business and life. Those of us who fear going full speed to avoid calamity, are more likely to face it because we aren’t prepared to take any blows.

Failure is a given in sports and life. If you’re going to fail, then fail hard. Fail by going 100%. That way, when you take the blow, you can bounce back up and be resilient. When I was in 9th grade, I played on the junior high football team. I remember running a drill where I was carrying the ball and trying to avoid a tackler. I an effort to lessen any pain (as my confidence in getting past the tackler was very small), I went half speed. Eric Seelye did not. Eric drilled me right in the chest and dropped me like a bad habit. The next thing I remember was that I was lying on my back, staring at a blue sky, and unable to breathe. It was my first encounter with “getting the wind knocked out of you.”

If you don’t want to be sans “wind” in your career, then don’t go half speed. Fail hard and get back up. Don’t allow the barriers in life to deter your path. Going half speed will only get you hurt when you get drilled in the chest. If you go full speed, you will be resilient in the face of crisis, and ultimately successful in reaching your own “end zone.”
© 2014 Dan Weedin. All Rights Reserved