I posted a brief love letter to failure — and the gym — on LinkedIn in mid-October. And it’s generated a lot of conversation.
Really though, it’s about challenge and growth. Which, dear reader, I suspect you care about.
So I’m resharing it below with a bit of additional reflection.
Here’s the post, in case you missed it:
I like. Big. Weights and I can not lie.
I’m bought in 100 to the strong mind strong body idea. Also, vanity.
But I’m not here for the vanity. Today’s about the fail.
It’s always fascinated me that at the gym, failure’s not what we fear. It’s what we strive for.
Lift to failure. That’s how you know you’ve hit a limit. You’ve emptied the tank, left it all on the field (so many metaphors!!) — but it’s the fertile soil for growth.
We lift with care. We have a spotter at the ready. We go slow and focus on form. These are all signals of care and prep.
At work? We talk about learning from failure. Yet it continues to scare the 💩 out of us.
And we need some more gym thinking at work.
We need not to celebrate a failure that’s come from sloppiness or carelessness.
We need instead to challenge ourselves to carefully consider, to contain the risk, to invite the bold thinking, and to do the scary thing.
We need our prep and our spotters at the ready. And then we need to take the leap. And celebrate the certainty that growth is coming.
What I’d Add Now:
It works because we feel the gym. The physical strain, the soreness, the repetition. Growth and progress are easy to measure.
Sometimes in work — in life, really — it’s harder to see.
So, a few things I’m thinking about now:
- What’s my “working to failure” moment this month? Not the careless, sloppy brand — but that calculated, intentional stretch.
- Who are my spotters? Am I inviting the right people in to challenge and support me?
- Am I lifting with form? Like am I preparing well enough to risk something bold?
What about you? Anything bold or scary you’d like to lift before the end of ‘25?
Hit me up. Let me know. I’d love to spot you!