My daughter is almost 5 years old and is in a very curious age. She loves trying to new things and is very interested in arts and crafts. We currently have been working on drawing various animals and alphabet letters. She also has been working on her skills with scissors. Seeing as how she is young, there is a lot of practice taking place before she gets it.

What crossed my mind during one activity was that it is my job to guide her to keep trying even when she fails. Over and over again. I also remind her that failure or not getting it right, does not mean she can’t. Rather, she learns what did not work and tries again.

In my 9 years of working in the fitness field I have worked primarily with adults. One struggle that has popped up with clients is this idea that they need to “get it right” in the first attempt. If it does not work then move on, it isn’t for them. Why is that? Why do we encourage children to work through their failure and use it for an opportunity for growth but we do not leave room for failure or give ourselves grace?

Failure is inevitable. We are human and to be human is to be imperfect. That is not a bad thing.

I highly encourage my clients and anyone looking to learn a new skill (in or outside of the gym!) to give themselves the space for failure and growth. Do not be discouraged by failure rather use this as an opportunity for growth.