I owe much of my skill and confidence to many years of diligent training in sports such as soccer, tennis, and basketball. Challenging myself athletically as well as calisthenically — when at the beginning of one summer I could only do 4 pull-ups and by the end of that summer through consistent progress I ended up maxing out at 18 pull-ups, proved a great feat of goal setting for me.
For me it always comes down to goal-setting. Setting goals is what dictates progress and my progressive improvements reinforce the possibility for turning the ideal into reality. I've witnessed many not try because they do not know how to set themselves up for the small feats of success which later can lead to greater successes at grander scales. As a result of such inhibitions, one is left with a feeling of fearing failure more than the desiring emotions accompanying accomplishment. Such belief system is based on one's lack of confidence in believing that they can accomplish whatever it is they set their mind to.
The value we receive from accomplishment is one of the best feelings in the world. It is the quintessential victory of self. And of knowing thyself. Without the feeling of failure, we would not know what winning feels like. And without the process of failure, we would not learn the ways by which to succeed. Much of my learning has the been the result of my many failures. Failure precedes success. The journey toward achievement involves incremental developmental stages, with each development signifying the overcoming of obstacles and momentary "failure". And this is where persistence and perseverance become essential.
The faster you fail, the quicker you will succeed. But only if you are able to understand and learn what it is that is keeping you from having succeeded already. "Success" in many ways, I've learned, is a science (of trial-and-error). Small victories have led me to bigger victories over time, and this too was the case for basketball whereupon I would consistently commit myself to not leave the court until I met the goal of making 5 three-pointers in a row from the perimeter followed by 10 free-throws in a row from the foul-shot line. No matter how far-fetched my ability to accomplish that specific objective felt at each moment in time, it taught me that always in the end, all it ever takes is concentration and persistence once you set a goal challenging enough to call upon your utmost focus, yet attainable enough to know that with enough at-bats and emotional intelligence, you will succeed. I would concentrate my mind and end up accomplishing the task — a challenge that felt doable and yet so far fetched at the same time.
The longer it took me to succeed, the greater the success felt. This is why you want to challenge yourself enough so as to push your limits, and thus indirectly improve your skill-set by maximizing the bandwidth by which you operate. And when I finally did succeed I would always be reminded that all it ever takes is heart (dedication) and continual perseverance until finally, the results manifest at just the right time. Many times, my accomplished goals manifested themselves — I’m not sure how; it felt outside of myself. Because the feeling of my beingness felt the exact same 1 minute ago when I had just failed, and yet just one more time — and one more time — and yet another time — and again, seemingly luck swayed my way whereupon at once the tide of success was bestowed upon me and my achievement fruitioned. This subconscious deliverance too influenced my mentality each time I'd juggle a soccer ball whereupon I'd commit myself to accomplish 100 in a row, entrapping myself from departing the field until I accomplished what I had set as my make or break key to freedom.
Not only does such methodology produce discipline, but it also builds character. Such abilities to accomplish such goals opens the exit gates for one to leave with a sense of accomplishment, on a high-note. This is important, for such subconscious and psychological effects this has on one's self-image, inner confidence, and subconscious state of mind is what builds a "can-do" attitude of self-belief, and ultimately faith in one's abilities beyond just a single sport or subject-matter. This habit of excellence proves the means by which 'success' is made available. Or what I like to call "tenets of achievement".
To leave with your last moment being an accomplishment — whether that means a swish on the court or a solid backhand struck against the wall, or a last juggle of the ball notching your 100th in a row — such philosophy may very well be the difference for why one person achieves success in the grand scheme of life and another seemingly falls short of expectations. Through trial and error, and chance and persistence, confidence is bestowed. And though I am not yet a success in what I deem as ultimate "life success”, just like these consistent exercises of hard-work and perseverance I realize that I can accomplish the grand portrait of success I envision in my mind so long as I maintain focus, diligence, and continue to exercise my disciplining effect upon life's game-board.
