21 Days Remaining: Bitter or Better?

My college track coach was famous for his annual inspirational team t-shirt quotes or phrases.  My senior year it was "Bitter or Better?"

I didn't make my goal today. I was going for three one mile runs at 7:28.

Mile 1: 7:26
Mile 2: 7:22
Mile 3: 7:44

Sometimes you want to see if you can do it yourself. I thought the last run would be very hard but it really wasn't. After that run I think I landed on the other extreme thinking, "Oh, I got this. No big deal." A healthy dose of humility always does the body well. And if humility is not enough, the cleaning crew picked up my t-shirt during my third mile - gone forevermore.


Coping with Failure:


I honestly don't have much experience with coping with failure. Not because I'm super incredible, but because of #3 below - mediocrity.  If you set your standards low enough, you won't have to deal with failure. The side effect of setting mediocre standards, is becoming a mediocre person... Do you want to be mediocre anymore? I don't.


Four Ways to Cope with Failure:

1. The Blame Game

There are plenty of excuses I could come up with why I didn't make that last mile (like what I had for lunch yesterday...), but that's just one coping method I'd rather not use - "The Blame Game".  It's where you find something or someone else to blame instead of taking responsibility yourself. Your skill at the Blame Game  can directly reflect your immaturity level.

2. Quitting

Another way to cope with failure is to quit, give up.  But I've already worked too hard, have too many supporting me, and ultimately have too much riding on this one to give up now.

3. Mediocrity

You can cope with failure by becoming mediocre.  You realize you can't meet the high standards you set this time, so you will set lower, mediocre, luke warm, underwhelming standards for yourself next time.  Then you're more likely to meet them, but even if you don't, no one else really notices because they weren't that spectacular anyways.

4. Better Yourself

A fourth (and good) coping method, among hundreds more, is to become better, to rise to the occasion, to build your strength. There are so many phrases that go with this one. My favorite is, "Crap is the best fertilizer."


A Challenge:


You will fail at something in your life. Your response to failure and other hard times in life, defines who you are. Do you become angry or bitter at the world, or at God, or at someone you once loved? Or do you challenge yourself to look for ways to become better?

I challenge you to not be bitter the next time you fail - become better.