A Time I Failed
A time that I failed this past semester was not consistently abiding by a running schedule. I know this failure sounds quite lame and menial, but I've been wanting to develop a solid running schedule for months.
I have a treadmill in my home so I tried that. I usually ran on the treadmill at the gym, so running at home shouldn't be too different. For some reason, I hated it. I got mentally bored within 10 seconds of running, to the point where I gave up.
Soon, I tried running sprints three times a week. This schedule started to become effective, as my brother and I ran together to keep each other accountable. However, after about a month, I was tired of running sprints, and the unpredictable weather further helped me make my decision.
What I Learned
From this failure, I learned the power of our minds. Mentally, I didn't want to run because I find it boring and prefer other forms of cardio. However, I know the benefits of running, and usually feel good after. Since my mental state was stuck in an "I hate running" mentality, I convinced myself to forgo the habit. I knew our mindset was quite important, but I didn't realize how a negative mindset can completely take over and make undesirable decisions.
Reflection
I think failure is a necessary evil. Nobody likes to fail, but we learn the most from our failures. Failure puts our mental strength to the test, and pushes us to our limits, revealing what our true capabilities are.
I like to think I handle failure well, but I don't think I do. Often times, I get stuck in a perfectionist mindset, so any ounce of failure ruins what I am doing. Failure affects me more emotionally rather than behaviorally. Recently, I've been trying to change my outlook on failure by reminding myself that it's okay to fail, and at least I learned what didn't work in a specific situation.
This class positively changed my perspective on failure. For my third reading reflection, I read How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big, which greatly helped. The author dedicated a whole chapter to some of his failures, but he didn't seem ashamed. I am not sure if I am more likely to take a risk as I've always been a more cautious person, but this might be the beginning of me learning to take more risks in the future.
Hey Tara,
ReplyDeleteI actually really enjoyed reading your post. Although it seems like a low-level form of failure, I believe that maintaining a steady workout (or in your case running) schedule is more important that it appears. Working-out regularly can have multiple health benefits, both for your physical and mental health. It is very easy to fall out of the "grove" of following a schedule, which may result in you working out far less than you should. Thus, I completely agree that maintaining a work out schedule is important.
Hi Tara!
ReplyDeleteProps to you for trying to be healthy and keep to a running schedule. It definitely can be hard due to the menial boringness of running, but dedication to yourself can definitely help in keeping that going. It is also very good that you realized your negative attitude is what basically caused you to not want to workout. Making connections like this increase your chance of staying true to your running schedule, so keep up the good work!
I loved how you said failure is a necessary evil. Without learning from failure, none of us would have been able to learn how to walk. I also like that you mentioned that the book you read has helped you with dealing with failure. Aside from failure, books are great learning source.
ReplyDelete