We're a society of big goal setters. We make big plans and announce them to the world with hopes they’ll hold us accountable. We want to achieve great things and yet many times our big plans become big disappointments. Those let-downs are part of life and the “rational you” understands it but the “emotional you” wants to protect yourself from ever feeling it again. You don’t want to risk it…the risk of failing and feeling that empty spot where your hard work left you far away from where you thought you were supposed to be.
So what happens next? We self-sabotage. Whether we know it or not, the fear of failing keeps us tucked in safely and watching from the side. It’s really not a fear of failure so much as it’s a fear…of letting yourself win. “Um..no,” you might say to me, but hear me out while I explain. We’ve been burned before and we know the heartache that comes when the bottom falls out and there's no win in sight.. but…if you succeed, there’s another little piece of this puzzle that is equally terrifying: EXPECTATION. If you win, then guess what? From now on, that’s just what you’re supposed to do. (that's not reality but it is according to your mind) but that’s a real fear and a pressure that we often don’t even acknowledge is happening in our lives. Whether it’s training for a race or dealing with a difficult relationship – we know that once we hit a certain level of success, there’s the pressure to perform every single time you toe the line. Except there’s not. What’s so hard to see is the benefit of falling and finding your footing to get back up and start all over again. Nobody gets great by always being great. The greats get great by saying, “I know I’m not going to succeed every single day, but if I don’t ever try I’ll definitely never win.” There are countless face-first falls you probably never see but tenacity to get back up separates the winners from the rest. You don’t have to finish first to win the race. Just walk away with the knowledge that you didn’t sell yourself short when the gun went off that day. Don’t negotiate deals with yourself or give yourself an out. Show up to win and keep the promise that you made. Only you control the lesson that you’ll take away. Don’t be your worst enemy because if that’s the case you’ll never beat your own brain. Instead be your biggest fan and tell yourself you’re getting out alive, because after all...wasn’t that the most important part of your grand plan?