Fear of Failure

Question: I don’t like to set goals because I’m afraid of failing. How do I overcome this?

Answer: There’s an old saying: “We lose and in this way win.” All setbacks and errors are lessons from which we can learn and forge ahead. When I broke my collarbone on my mountain bike a few years ago, for instance, I learned about descending on a bike. All great athletes are great because of their setbacks and failures. In other words, when you fail you’re in good company. To be great, you have to develop a high tolerance for errors and setbacks. It’s the only way to get better. When we win, we never think about what we need to do to improve. I like this expression: “The arrow that hits the bull’s-eye is the result of 100 misses.”

Question: I’m over 40. Is physical decline inevitable with aging? Is it all downhill from here?

Answer: Aging studies indicate an inevitable decline, but are the findings valid? A lot of the current data is from sedentary people, not athletes. But now the baby boomers are coming along. Many have been working out throughout their lives, so the profile is changing. The real question is, are you using your body or misusing it? Some experts are now saying that if you maintain the intensity and volume of exercise, you can actually reverse the aging/performance equation. Any declines may not be due to age but to self-imposed limits on your training, such as devoting more time to your career as you get older. But there is no data to prove that there’s a necessary decline with age. What does change with age is recovery. As you get older, you need more rest from workouts.