Spring is out in the northern hemisphere, how lovely. I’ve spent the past few winter months training for the Brighton marathon, running through snow, wind and rain in order to be ready for the race this Sunday. And I’ve failed, because my body has decided to be injured, and my training plan has most certainly been diverted from over the past four weeks.
In the past I’ve prided myself on my ability to make a plan and stick to it to the end. I’ve had commitment and pushed myself to make stuff happen when the going got tough. But this time, it’s just been impossible to do that.
And so I’ve been forced to find a new perspective on this. And I think it’s one that serves me well. I’m going to be going into the race on Sunday hoping to have fun, see a few people I know and maybe make it round a portion of the course. I’m going into the race with a lightness.
And that’s what failing brings us. Although failing can feel frightening and our gremlins would have us believe we might break if we fail, in actual fact failing takes us to a place where there’s nothing left to lose. It takes us to ground zero where the only way is back up. Failure brings us the opportunity to get creative about finding new ways to look at situations.
Problems arise when we cling on desperately to avoid failure, we stay ‘in control’ of everything so nothing slips. But what that approach tends to do is send us into a state of stress, and when we’re in stress our bodies and behaviours start to go haywire.
Letting go and accepting that failure is a part of the process serves us all.
So here’s to a messy, out of control, fun, light, whatever happens happens attempt at a marathon on Sunday. Because failing really isn’t that bad.
With love, Hannah
*Image by Julia Raasch www.unsplash.com