Failure is a part of training. Not flailing attempts at mediocrity, but legitimate work that pushes a person to the limits of their ability. Every skill based activity is improved upon when we work at that cusp edge of failure. Honing our abilities by not doing things perfectly, but pushing for it.

Of course, that doesn’t always make for the best internet media.

We like blindingly stupid failures, we like great successes. If you are not in the latter, we group you with the former. So perhaps it is not a huge surprise that most of us aim to post videos and images when we succeed at some new PR or skill. We don’t offer up the work that came before that. The more I mull on it, the more that seems to lack authenticity. It never reveals the work that goes into skill improvement, and it glorifies success as opposed to the actual work that goes into creating that success.

So here, for your viewing pleasure is some footage of the carny failing. I have had a 56kg bell for a number of years, and I just haven’t had the confidence to even attempt snatching it. There is a lot that can go wrong with the lift, and it requires a lot of skill and strength. Two attempts this morning (this was years ago, I am old now.  I haven’t failed in years at this weight.  I have been too scared to try it *grin*) at that weight, and neither of them held. However, what surprised me was that the second failure was closer than it felt. Was it perfect, no. Will I get better at it by continually banging myself against that movement and failing, no. However, the goal is closer than I had thought. I have some skills to work on to pull off a long time goal, but I can feel the closeness. Rather than walking away and running from the failure, I am embracing it. At the end of the day, that is how we improve.