Triumphant failure

This post is rated Sprinters, Olympians and Ironman.

I don’t know about you, but I love a good quote! When it comes to training and competition I cannot think of one better than this:

“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.”

Teddy Roosevelt uttered these words during his famous speech “Citizenship In A Republic” at the Sorbonne, in Paris, France on 23 April, 1910. Over 100 years old, yet fully alive and rich in meaning.

If you so desire to do anything in life, why in the world would you not try? What’s the worst thing that could happen? I mean come on..seriously, are you terrified of failure?

Failure is part of the journey. Failure makes success that much sweeter. Failure is essential to lasting growth. Failure is fine as long as its not final!

If you are pursuing your passion, you will fail..EXPECT IT! Learn from it, grow from it, get better as a result of it, BUT DO NOT COWER IN THE FACE OF IT…

 

 

 

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  1. I love that quote! Sometimes the “dust and sweat and blood” make it seem like it’s not worth it, but that’s such small perspective in the overall picture. It’s good to expect some failure – that way it doesn’t take you out of the game – then, not see it as that, but a valuable learning experience.

    It’s so worth the fight, and I love how you reiterate that!