Failure Brings You Freedom

I'll bet you didn't have a Taylor Swift lyric in a #CoachJeff blog post on your bingo card.

But here you go...B-I-N-g...

Back in the winter, I found myself driving a lot and listening to my Sirius/XM while the smash single "Opalite" was racing up the charts. And I found myself really enjoying the song. And really leaning into the line mentioned into today's title.

Failure Brings You Freedom.

I've been thinking a lot about the notion of grit recently. Maybe that is why the line resonates.

During my baseball coaching days, I saw so many instances in which parents wanted to shield their youngster rather than having them deal with minor nuisances or discomfort. I wrote about this during the earlier iteration of #CoachJeff.

When our team was still finding its way, I had one dad basically tell me his son wouldn't be coming back to the team for a second season because, well, we weren't winning. And, after all, winning is fun!

Coincidentally, after the kid bounced from team to team over the next few years, the dad strongly hinted they'd love to come back once we started consistently winning. Ahem.

We didn't have any openings at the time...

But even though we had stepped up to a more competitive league, some parents were still seeking comfort. One mom asked if we were still doing snack time; another parent asked me about participation trophies for the fellas. 

Uh...no.

But the topic isn't just relevant in the old Chopper Nation. It's true off the field as well.  Some folks tend to lean into the drama. Lisa actually wrote on this topic some years ago. Check out her post here.

I have heard a number of people in my circle talking about how hard things are. How can we cope with it all? When it rains it pours!

In my book, those thoughts might be temporarily soothing, but they don't problem-solve. Solutions develop when you actually deal with the discomfort, power through them and work the problem. 

And, when you succeed, not only is that euphoric in the moment, it builds confidence. 

The dad who bailed on the Choppers (before we were the Choppers) wasn't willing to go through another season of learning (and losing). But if he had been willing to stick around, what a great message that would have taught "Junior." The folks who did stick with the ball club during the lean years really enjoyed the hard-earned success that eventually came.

So, that brings me back to my original point. Failure brings you freedom.

I think about how awful that romantic break-up felt when I was 20 years old. And a year later, I met my future wife.

Failure brings you freedom.

I think about the early years when Lisa and I ran a small newspaper. We eventually decided to close the paper because we just couldn't make the finances work. But, that experience catapulted us ahead of our peers into great jobs early in our career.

Failure brings you freedom.

It's a time-honored lesson that plays out over and over.

So, when you are up against it sometime, just remember the line. Maybe hum it to yourself. And power through.

I predict you'll be pleased with the results. B-I-N-G-O.

JG