Level 2.71 - Failure

     

Level Your Life - [The Level of Failure] [2.71]

Failure



It never feels good to lose, experience setbacks, make mistakes or fail. Having had much failure in our lives, we notice that although it may cause disappointment at the time, all that we are today is the result of learning from such experiences. The adventurer understands that, in this way, when we lose, we also win.

Lao Tzu failed, yet he knew that his failure was his best teacher,mentor, and guide.

If you notice and pay attention to the way of LYL while in the gym or on the trail, you will learn that the arrow that hits the bull´s-eye is the result of a hundred misses.

Any of us who have become proficient with the computer in this technological age realizes that such skill is the result of errors, setbacks, and mistakes. As authors, we learn to write books by rewriting them.

We can say unequivocally that champions in all areas of life have a very high tolerance for loss,setback and failure. They would rather not have these experiences, but they know they are inevitable, and when they do occur, the best performers get back on their feet, learn from them, and become even greater because of their failure.

"I´ve missed more than nine thousand shots in my career; twenty-six times I´ve been trusted to take the game-winning shot and missed. I´ve failed over and over and over again. And that is why I succeed." ~Michael  "Air" Jordan

Failure, for the adventurer, is an opportunity for future success. We can tell you from working closely with many,many athletes that success comes to those who weather the storm.





Declaration : Failure is nature´s way of teaching me how to improve. It is an important component of the process of living. Adversity gives me inner strength for another day.

Reflection: Look at your most recent failures, setbacks, and losses and ask yourself: What have I learned from these disappointing moments ? How am I better off because of such failure ?







[paraphrased and inspired by Spirit of the Dancing Warrior]

Level 2.50 - Yielding

Level of Life - [The Level of Yielding][2.50]

Yielding



The Chinese symbols for yielding depict the way rivers and streams form their paths according to the dictates of nature : they yield to what is.
Did you know that yielding conquers the resistant, and that soft triumphs over hard ?
Water is soft, yet wears rock away. Bamboo tree flex in the wind, flourish in the harsh winter, and are used to make shelter, while rigid pine trees crack during a storm.


Resistance to unpredictable change is pointless. We understand that we must yield to opposing forceds by adapting to change. Flexibility and spontaneity are the keys to success in all arenas of physical activity. For example, in the martial arts, yielding to opposing forces is crucial ; you absorb an attack by blending with its force. This is also true in football when an offensive lineman uses the force of the opposition to his advantage by stepping aside and taking his opponent to the ground.
Yield to loss, yield to injury, yield to all conflict by being fluid,flexible, and soft.


Any changes in the normal routine of a game, event, or work-out demand that you be flexible and yield.


You may find yourself feeling angry and frustrated because you can´t run due to unfortunate injury or weather obstacles. Can you try another source of exercise , perhaps cross-train on a bike or elliptical  machine or swim in a pool ? There are other ways in which you can still meet your needs of exercise.
Such is the mental advantage you will have over those who remain psychologically rigid or resistant.

Rigidity causes tension and stress, which obstruct one´s potential. We recall the story of a drunken man who falls of a cart without injury because he yields to the fall in a flexible soft way. 

The wise adventurer demonstrates true strength by yielding to sudden change.

In "The Art of War", Sun Tzu tells us to be creative and refuse to give preconceived notions permission to distract us from a powerful option - yielding.

When facing sudden and unpredictable change, adapt with flexibility. According to the wisdom of the East, those who are inflexible descend; the yielding will ascend.





Declaration: When I am inflexible and rigid, I set myself up for defeat. When I yield, I am in harmony with success.

Reflection: In what one way can I demonstrate the virtue of yielding today ? What examples of rigidity do I have in my own past behaviour, and how might I change them knowing what I know now ?






[paraphrased and inspired by Spirit of the Dancing Warrior]