Failure = Success

We often conceptualize failure as inherently negative.

This is damaging to progress.

Why?

Failure is defined as the condition of not having achieved a desired outcome.

However, outcomes are never within our direct control, and attempting to control outcomes is futile at best. The only variable we can control is action.

Whether or not we achieve a desired outcome is relevant (because it creates a direction for us to move), but outcomes should not directly determine how we feel about our actions.

Let me analogize this to exercise.

When I train most people, they often get upset when they can’t complete a rep they thought they should’ve.

But in the context of training for muscle growth, not completing the final reps of a set is part of the goal. 

So when you “fail” a repetition, you’re achieving the outcome you desire - you’re fatiguing a muscle as you intended.

Sure, you want to make progress over time (add more load, etc.), but you can only make progress if you’re pushing hard enough to fail occasionally.

In other words, if you do not push to the point of failure and fatigue in an exercise, you’ve actually failed to accomplish the goal of exercising to begin with.

The point of lifting is to fatigue muscles so they can’t perform the function they did at the beginning of a set. This is how muscles grow and get stronger.

Muscles must be stressed close to the point of fatigue they haven’t previously experienced to handle higher-magnitude challenges in the future. If you fail to ever fail during exercise, it’s unlikely you’ll experience substantial adaptations in the long term.

Sure, if you’re a beginner trainee (or you’re pharmacologically enhanced) you can get away with low-effort sets for some time.

But eventually, most people get to the point of needing greater challenges to continue progressing.

If you’re scared of failing (fatiguing muscles) - you’re unlikely to get to a point where you’re making the progress you wish to see.

The same is true for any skill you want to improve in life.

This is why I’m a huge advocate of “failure” and why I like to conceptualize failure as a progression rather than a regression.

Failing is simply learning - and learning is what allows us to continue to move in the direction of our goals and the outcomes we seek.

If you never fail, it’s unlikely you’ll succeed. It doesn’t matter if you’re trying to grow muscle or learn quantum mechanics.

At some point, you’ll encounter a situation where you don’t have the necessary tools to move forward. And the only way to figure out what those tools are (and how to use them) is by trying something you’re not yet comfortable with.

Here's a well-known quote by Thomas Edison that captures the idea of failure as a pathway to success:

"I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work."

So, this week, try to conceptualize failure as learning. Fail safely and watch the magic happen.