How To Overcome The Feeling Of Giving Up…

Today I…

– tried something new and fell flat on my face

– did my biggest trick in front of people and totally messed it up

– failed at making the improvements I was trying to make

– thought it was going to work but it didn’t

Do these sound familiar? Does this happen to you? Do you feel embarrassed or frustrated when you have tried to do something and it went completely the wrong way? Do you ever wonder how you will ever keep on going?

Well there are many things you could do.

– You could give up right now and never try it again.

– You could just quit because you don’t feel like feeling that way ever again

– You could give up everything you have worked for just so you don’t have to fall (fail?) again.

Do these solutions sound well thought out? Of course not! They are all easy ways out. They are easy decisions to make but the outcome makes it very difficult to learn from your mistakes.

That feeling of embarrassment and failure when you make a mistake will always come back, no matter what you do in life. It will find a way back into your life at other times when you are not expecting it.

It may show up when you have a job one day or maybe during school when you have a huge math project due, you may feel like it is just too hard. Will you quit your job because it is too much work? How will you support your family if you don’t have a job?

Will you tell your teacher that you are not going to do the math project because it is too difficult for you? How will you graduate from school? I don’t think giving up is a productive option when it comes to school or employment so why would it be an option when it comes to training?

How can you learn if you just give up? You HAVE to make mistakes in order to learn how to do something correctly. When you learned how to walk, did you figure out how to run in one day? I don’t think so! You probably fell on your bum so many times before you figured it out.

There are better solutions out there and most of them involve facing whatever it is that is bothering you. I would like to share something that I feel is helpful when you have failed and don’t know how you are going to move on from that particular moment in time.

I have put together a 4 step routine for you to go through when you find yourself making mistakes and on the verge of giving up.

1. Take a deep breath

2. Stand up tall

3. Put your head up

4. Try it again

Each step has its own meaning and purpose.

– Taking a deep breath is you reminding yourself to stay strong.

– Standing tall is you showing that you are ready to focus and not give up.

– Putting your head up is demonstrating that you are keeping a positive attitude.

– Trying again is proving that you are a courageous athlete. It also shows that you are willing to improve which is one of the most important things in competitive sport. You have to be willing if you want to see progress in sport.

Only you are standing in your way of being successful. Be brave and go for it. You will never know if you don’t try.