Failure isn’t Final - Team Encouragement

In the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain, Derek Redmond believed he could win a silver medal for Great Britain. After five years of daily training and eight operations on his Achilles tendons, Derek had won the first two heats and was running in the semifinals of the 400 meters. Things were going as planned until, coming out of the first turn, he heard a snap and felt a sharp pain in his left leg. Derek went down in a heap on the track as he realized that his left hamstring had exploded, and with it, his dreams of an Olympic medal.

He got to his feet and began to run—hop, really—to finish the race. He later said he was determined to finish and therefore waved off the race officials, who were running toward him with a stretcher. And then he felt a hand on his shoulder. Redmond began to push the hand of assistance away until he turned to find himself looking into the face of his father, Jim. When Jim Redmond had seen what had happened to his son, he pushed his way out of the crowd and onto the track and rushed to tell Derek that he didn’t have to finish. But when Derek insisted that he complete the race, Jim said they would do it together.

Derek cried into Jim’s shoulder as they walked the remainder of the course, and race officials continued to come to their side in an effort to assist the pair. Jim now was the one who waved them off, later saying he didn’t understand Spanish, and wasn’t going to be stopped from being with his son. 

In a high-rejection business, all of us need people to encourage us and to remind us that failure isn’t final, and when we take our next steps, we will not be alone. This is the thing uncommon Team Members do. Be that person and encourage those around you.

The alter ego

The Life Project published an article called, “The Batman Effect- How An Alter Ego Empowers You." This piece dives into the benefits of channeling an alter ego when preforming. This concept has been adapted by top performers such as Beyonce (Sasha Fierce) and Adele (Sasha Carter).

The psychology behind creating an alter ego is to channel an extreme form of self-distancing, which involves taking a step back from our immediate feelings to allow us to view a situation more objectively. This has been proven to help people master their anxiety and have greater feelings of self-confidence when delivering presentations. Alter egos seem to allow people to experience the positive effects by focusing on the end goal instead of getting trapped in immediate feelings. This can allow us to respond versus react when faced with challenges or distractions.

The idea of an Alter Ego is to stop one’s negative self-feedback and adopt desired personality traits from someone or something you admire or look up to. The entire idea is to put distance between yourself and the problem or temptation. When we can do this, we may see from a larger viewpoint and be able to make a choice versus a knee-jerk reaction.

So, the next time you deliver a presentation, lead a meeting, make a sales call, or step into a moment that matters, don't just rely on how you feel in that moment. Instead, become the version of yourself that already possesses the qualities you need.

Maybe it's confidence of a world-class performer, the composure of a seasoned leader, or the resilience of someone you admire. Give that version a name, build that identity, and step into it intentionally.

The goal isn't to pretend to be someone you're not. The goal is to access the strengths that already exist within you by creating enough distance from your fear, doubt, and self-criticism to perform at your best.

Because anxiety asks, "What if I fail?"

Your alter ego asks, "What's the mission?"

And when your focus shifts from your feelings to your purpose, something powerful happens: you stop reacting and start performing.

So, who will you become when it matters most?

How Long Will You Hold On?

Once upon a time a psychology professor walked around on a stage while teaching stress management principles to an auditorium filled with students.  As she raised a glass of water, everyone expected they’d be asked the typical “glass half empty or glass half full” question.  Instead, with a smile on her face, the professor asked, “How heavy is this glass of water I’m holding?”

Students shouted out answers ranging from eight ounces to a couple pounds. She replied, “From my perspective, the absolute weight of this glass doesn’t matter.  It all depends on how long I hold it. If I hold it for a minute or two it’s fairly light.  If I hold it for an hour straight, its weight might make my arm ache a little.  If I hold it for a day straight, my arm will likely cramp up and feel completely numb and paralyzed, forcing me to drop the glass to the floor.  In each case, the weight of the glass doesn’t change, but the longer I hold it, the heavier it feels to me.”    As the class shook their heads in agreement, she continued, “Your stresses and worries in life are very much like this glass of water.  Think about them for a while and nothing happens.  Think about them a bit longer and you begin to ache a little.  Think about them all day long, and you will feel completely numb and paralyzed – incapable of doing anything else until you drop them.”

This applies not only to you in your performance-based position regarding the weight of the stresses you may carry each day but also to your prospect. When you look at the problem you uncover in your presentation the question isn’t always about the weight of the problem as it stands but the weight of the problem over time and what it may become.

The professor’s lesson was never about a glass of water.

And some problems aren’t solved because they become unbearable.

They’re solved the moment someone decides they’ve carried them long enough.

Growth in the Struggle

A young boy came across a butterfly cocoon and brought it into his house. He watched, over the course of hours, as the butterfly struggled to break free from its confinement. It managed to create a small hole in the cocoon, but its body was too large to emerge. It tired and became still.

Wanting to help the butterfly, the boy snipped a slit in the cocoon with a pair of scissors. But the butterfly was small, weak, and its wings crumpled. The boy expected the insect to take flight, but instead it could only drag its undeveloped body along the ground. It was incapable of flying.

The boy, in his eagerness to help the butterfly, stunted its development. What he did not know was that the butterfly needed to go through the process of struggling against the cocoon to gain strength and fill its wings with blood. It was the struggle that made it stronger.

The butterfly becomes strong because of the struggle and the same is true for us.

Every setback, every disappointment, every failure, every difficult conversation and every challenge carries with it an opportunity to grow stronger, wiser, and more capable than before.

So, the next time you find yourself struggling, don’t be so quick to wish it away.

One day, you may realize that the thing you thought was holding you back was actually giving you what you needed to become everything you always hoped.