planning to fail

Nobody wants to plan to fail, right?
Well, in one of my classes last week we talked about something called the "Wallenda Factor," and I've been thinking about it a lot and figured I could share it with y'all.

You're probably thinking "wallenda what?" Well, it's named after this dude, Karl Wallenda. He was a circus performer, and he performed on the tight-rope with no nets. He did all kinds of performances that many (including myself) would consider insane. Well, he had learned how to walk the tight-rope when he was very young, and he was taught to never think about falling. He was taught to think about positive things and the performance. He had never thought about falling until a few months before his death. In the months leading up to his death when he was practicing, all he could think about was not falling. Well, he ended up falling to his death while performing.

Karl Wallenda performing on the tight-rope

Now, you're probably thinking....ok where is this going. Well, the wallenda factor is all about your outlook because your outlook can ultimately determine the outcome. If all you can think about is avoiding failure or the fear of failure, one fails.

Therefore, if all you can think about is failing or not doing well, then you're planning to fail. (now you get it).

We talked mostly about this in an administrative kind of way, but I think it could apply to running as well because negative thoughts can eat you up and hurt your performance. You're letting thoughts of failure take over...and you're defeated before you even start. I'm not going to run good because I don't feel good or I didn't get enough sleep or my hamstring is really tight or I tied my shoe too tight or it's too cold or a million other things....

You've got to change those nasty negative thoughts into positive ones. Think instead about how you're going to kick that certain person's butt or how you're going to get a good start or how you're going to finish strong or how you're going to work hard on the hills or how awesome it will be to win a "top ten finisher" T-shirt or how awesome you slept or a million other things. I personally, when they're getting ready to shoot the gun to start, I like to think either, "Let's kick some butt!!" or something like, "It's show time! Time to shine!" The whole point is that people who maintain a positive outlook and inner confidence emerge as winners.

So plan for success and kick some butt!!