I’ll be honest: I’ve failed…a lot. I’ve failed in business, relationships, nutrition, and training. I’d always heard the same tired platitudes that “you learn the most from your failures.” Eh…I never did.
Until I became comfortable with failure. For me, CrossFit was a space where I could practice failure and learn that it’s OK. Ever scraped your shin on a box jump? I bet you think a lot more about the importance of accuracy and explosiveness now. There was a time, early on, when I couldn’t help but PR. Everyday I walked in the gym, my Clean and Jerk or Back Squat was at least 5 pounds more than the last time I did it. But then I learned failure.
There’s a reason we have 1 pound plates…PR’s become hard. Failure occurs more than PR’s at a certain point. But, know what? That’s OK. My wife still loves me, my friends still want to hang out, I can still be fit.
For all of us, the CrossFit gym is a very safe environment to experience failure. More important than getting back under the barbell is the realization that comfort in failure extends to our entire life: career, relationships, education. It’s this “failure comfort” that shows you the things you never though possible. And shows you that attempting the impossible and failing is OK. The people that loved and supported you before failure will love and support you after.
So let’s start celebrating PF’s as much as we celebrate PR’s.