Failure

Have you ever failed? I was asked this by someone recently. It seems like a superficial question until you think about a bit. Sure I have failed and I hope that I will continue to fail at times. The key is that you learn from you failures and your mistakes. I am convinced that if you are not trying new things and pushing the envelope then you are not getting better. When you do that failures and setbacks will occur. If you stay in your comfort zone and never take risks you will not progress. Failure can be very painful and uncomfortable but if you have sound core beliefs and a good support system then failure will only be an obstacle to overcome. I firmly believe that adversity creates opportunity. Much of the effect of adversity is how you react to it. If you let it defeat you then it will. Success can blinding, it can allow us to delude ourselves into thinking we are better than we are. Ultimately it is about putting failure and success into context and keeping perspective. I know I had two experiences in a row with the NY Mets and the Nike Oregon Project that shook my foundations. They certainly could not be considered great experiences and in many ways they were failures. The net effect of those two experiences was to grow and develop, to sharpen my core beliefs to find out who my real friends were and to pick up and move forward. The goal is to move forward and upward, don't be afraid to fail!

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Vern Gambetta

Director at Gambetta Sports Training Systems

Vern is the Director of Gambetta Sports Training Systems. He has been the a conditioning coach for several MLS teams as well as the conditioning consultant to the US Men's World Cup Soccer team. Vern is the former Director of Conditioning for the Chicago White Sox and New York Mets. He has lectured and conducted clinics in Canada, Japan, Australia and Europe and has authored six books and over one hundred articles related to coaching and sport performance in a variety of sports. He has a BA in teaching with a coaching minor and an MA in Education with an emphasis in physical education from Stanford University.

@coachgambetta

Athletic Development Coach, Educator & Consultant. Founder of GAIN Network. Proud dad. Love to read everything.

RT @VSPEducation: Lots of talk on frontside mechanics to get more force into ground. Generate it with the thigh drive Transmit it with kine… - 3 hours ago

Vern Gambetta

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