Imagine that your life came with a success and failure slider. It might be easier to imagine this slider on your computer screen. You choose the amount of success and failure you experience in your life by dragging the slider to the position right for you. Did you know that it is possible to drag this imaginary slider within your mind to the position you wish it to be? What I am saying here is simple: Success and failure are interpretations you assemble based upon how you think, feel and act. Success and failure are constructs we make manifest in our lives each day. For example, the tennis serve that hits the net might appear as failure to some people but it does not mean it ought to be interpreted in that way. A penalty that hits the crossbar might appear as failure to some people but it does not mean that you failed. It is not the event itself that matters; rather it is how we interpret what happens to us. For any athlete to improve, she needs to examine her skills at the edge of her ability. Working in the easy zone does not move her forward towards excellence. The figure skater who does not fall on her bottom each day does not improve. The golfer who does not execute a fade or draw as required does not learn what needs to be done the next time to improve. The runner who does not exhaust himself on his interval runs does not find the edge of his aerobic capacity. Failing is fun because we are struggling and struggling is learning.
