Chasing Failure

So when I joined Planet Fitness it was because I needed something different than what I'd been doing, but was poor and that's all I could afford.

I went all of three times, and while I still stand by what I said in my previous post, it just wasn't for me. I didn't like the uncertainty of whether or not my workout would be able to go as planned, wondering if it would be packed, etc.

I contacted my local CrossFit box about a trade of sorts and waited on pins and needles to hear back from them. 

They didn't need what I was offering at the time, but they did need help in other areas, and would I be interested? 

Ummmm..... YES!!!!!

My first time in, everyone made me feel very welcome. 

We did back squats for the strength portion WITH A REAL BARBELL AND A SQUAT RACK! Talk about bliss....

I shared a bar with three other ladies, who helped me figure out my 1RM. I did 125 for two reps, with my second being a bit iffy, then went up to 130. I went down, down, down, and had to gracefully bail at the bottom. I can say I can squat my body weight, and now because I failed, I can chase that 130.

The skill work of the day? Double unders. Never in my life had I done one, but there's a first for everything. 

The coach helped me pick my rope, showed me what length it should be, and gave me some basic ques. I started with singles, and went in for the kill.....

I donkey kicked my feet and got all tangled up. Tried again and failed. And failed again.....and again....and again.

We re-adjusted my rope, decided I needed to tuck and lock my elbows, jump UP, not kick back, and flick the wrists.

I got set up, took a deep breath, and heard the glorious tick-tick, tick-tick of my very first double unders! I may have been a tiny bit excited....

The most I can string together is 5-7, but failure gives me a clear goal to work towards.

I currently CrossFit 3 times a week, and it's one of my favorite parts of the day. I love listening to everyone interact like one big family, the laughter, setting up my work station, the feel of the barbell in my hand, the way the music gets cranked up, the sound of weights slamming, the camaraderie...

It's like a second home to me. :)

It also exposes weaknesses, and makes you stronger mentally, and if there's one thing I've learned, it's this:

Chase failure. 

We humans aren't perfect. We fail all the time. If we didn't, were we even trying? If you are doing your best, actually giving it 100% of your efforts chances are you will make mistakes.

It doesn't make you a failure, it shows you were you can improve and become better than you are now. 

I can tell you personally that I just did something recently and didn't finish. To be honest, a tiny bit of me felt like I failed, but I learned from that, tried again, did what I set out to do, and felt even more proud of my efforts because of my previous "failure."