Late Night Thoughts About
Success, Failure, Victory, and Defeat
By Robert Drucker
Introduction
A short time ago, I started a new series on my blog titled, Pushing to the Front. This series is devoted to life lessons that I have learned from Orison Swett Marden, the author of the book with the same title. To date, Part 1 and Part 2 of the series have been posted, and I started writing this article with the intention making it Part 3. However, as my writing progressed, I began to realize that my new “post” was taking on a life of its own. For this reason, I decided to convert it a short article and make it independent of the new post series. Nonetheless, the spirit of Orison Swett Marden can be found throughout this work. His writings continue to influence me, and there can be no doubt that the ideas put forth by this genius of a man have filtrated into my writings.
Although this article was written for Muscles of Iron, you need not be a strength athlete to benefit from it. The principles and lessons contained herein are timeless, universal, and relevant to anybody who seeks greater success, regardless of his or her chosen endeavors.
Instead of capturing my thoughts about the “laws” of success, I could have written about building bigger biceps or developing “rock-hard” abs. Doing so would have been the popular thing to do, and it would have guaranteed a large audience draw. But, in terms of importance, the information presented here cannot be matched by any ordinary training article, and I am not looking to win a popularity contest. And, I am glad that you have chosen to get off of the beaten path and read this. Consider this article a brief course on building the most important and powerful “muscle” of all – the human mind.
Presentation
Orison Swett Marden is considered the founder of the modern success movement in America. He authored numerous books and created Success Magazine in 1897. Public domain photograph.
The ability to get a job done, without delay, is often the defining factor which separates success from failure, and victory from defeat. In fact, procrastination brings death to any ambition faster than anything else can.
This fact was captured quite well in the fable, The Tortoise and the Hare. You know the story. A hare ridicules a slow-moving tortoise and challenges the bulky reptile to a race. After taking an early lead, the hare decides to take a nap halfway through the course thinking the tortoise can’t possibly catch up. However, as the hare sleeps the tortoise keeps moving his heavy body slowly, but persistently. And, when the hare wakes up, he finds that his competitor has already crossed the finish line.
From this story, a strength athlete can derive a crucial lesson, one that may determine above all else if a dream to build muscle and might will come true, or will perish in the winds of failure. The lesson is this:
Never put off until tomorrow what should be done today.
There is never a better time than the present to take action and work toward fulfilling your goals. With each delay, the likelihood of success and personal satisfaction diminishes. This is because unnecessary delay kills progress, slows momentum, and sets up a mindset of defeat. Think about this the next time you are tempted to skip a scheduled training session. Ask yourself, “Is postponing my workout really the right thing to do?” And, remember that the right thing to do isn't necessarily what you want to do. Always do the right thing! If you follow this rule, you can't go wrong.
Lost opportunities can never be brought back. Winners learn this lesson early in life; losers learn it only after it is too late, or never at all. So, if your goal is to become stronger, more fit, and to look better, you should get to work on fulfilling your dream right now. This is the only way. If you join the “I’m going to do this one day” crowd, you will likely find that life has passed you by before that “day” ever arrives.
Dwelling on the past is almost as bad as dwelling on the future. Forget the “If only I” thoughts and concentrate on what you can do this instant to make things better. I’ve made more mistakes in life than I care to share, but the biggest mistake I ever made was dwelling on my mistakes!
No matter how rough things have been, how many hardships you have faced, or how many difficulties you have encountered, you must get over them NOW if you want to build yourself both physically and mentally. Feeling sorry for yourself will do nothing but keep you down in the dirt. I have learned this lesson both from personal experience and from many years of studying human nature. I have observed over and over that the champions of life MOVE FORWARD, only reflecting upon past failures to learn from their mistakes and enrich future success. The losers of life dwell on the past, dream of the future, and master the art of excuse making to rationalize not taking action in the present.
The Tortoise and the Hare teaches us a great lesson about the consequences of procrastination. Stopping to rest at the wrong time can turn success into failure, and victory into defeat. Public domain photograph from an edition of Aesop's Fables illustrated by Arthur Rackham, 1912.
We all know people who continually say, “One day I'm . . . .” For these people, the day of reckoning never seems to come. This is because no amount of hope, planning, strategizing, or contemplating can do any good if such mental tactics are not backed up with TIMELY and forceful action. I know a nice fellow who hits the scale at nearly 300 pounds. The other day, he told me, “One day I’m going to go on a diet and get into good shape.” The problem is he has been telling me this for over 10 years!
I know another fellow who is so naturally blessed he could, I believe, become a national bodybuilding or weightlifting champion within the next three years - if he would get off of his lazy ass. But, despite his natural physical talent, I doubt that he will ever amount to anything. Things just come too easy for him. And, when things come too easy, the “fight” within an individual is rarely thrust into motion.
One famous professional boxer went as far to say that in order to become a champion you must first suffer through a miserable upbringing. This assertion may have been a bit of a stretch, but the boxer’s point was that struggle during the formative years of your life can light a fire within you like nothing else can. This is why the greatest champions in nearly every field of activity are rarely the ones who are the most naturally endowed. In the long run, heart almost always wins over natural talent. Let this be consolation to you if Mother Nature short-changed you in any way.
When I was growing up, I used to engage in various sports with neighbors and friends, many of whom were older and bigger than I was. One time I tried to tackle “Big Mark” during a football game, and he just dragged me down the field while I held firmly onto his hips along the 60-yard trip. Another time, I was knocked nearly unconscious after taking on “Big Dave” in a boxing match. I think I lasted about 10 seconds before his mighty left hook sent me sailing through the air. And, I can’t forget the humiliating defeat I suffered during a wrestling match against a guy who was actually smaller than I was. This guy, who called himself “Lightning Joe,” was blazing fast and surprisingly strong, and he twisted me around like a pretzel in no time.
At the time, these defeats were humiliating and depressing. I could see no value in taking such a licking. But, I have come to realize in recent years that these “defeats” – along with many others – did more to build my resolve and light my internal fire than any other influence. This is why I stress the critical importance of setting a goal and taking action to fulfill it immediately. You’re going to get sand kicked in your face; you’re going to make mistakes; you’re going to face a barrage of setbacks; and, you might even make a big fool of yourself. But, these things must happen if you want to acquire something worthwhile! Nobody in the history of the world has ever accomplished anything of long-term value without facing and overcoming harsh resistance.
There is a relationship between success and failure and between victory and defeat that, sadly, a lot of people never realize. Success comes about by learning from your failures. And, victory is the result of learning from your defeats. If you have no failures behind you, then you have no successes. And, if you have no defeats to stand on, then you have no victories. It’s as simple as that.
This is not to say that you will benefit by making the same mistakes over and over. The key is to learn from your mistakes and to take CORRECTIVE ACTION immediately. Those individuals who are petrified of making mistakes, going down in defeat, or facing a little humiliation, might as well sell their barbells and join a television-watching club. But, if you are willing to put down your guard and get a good “ass kicking” once in a while, then great things are bound to happen to you. In short, you must never let the fear of failure stop you from marching forward. Of course, you don’t want to do something so foolish that you don’t live to tell about it. On the other hand, always playing it safe will absolutely ensure that your life will be filled with boredom and mediocrity.
Sir Isaac Newton is regarded by many as the most influential scientist in history. He formulated the classical theories of mechanics and optics, and he independently, along with Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz, invented a branch of mathematics known as calculus. The great scientist was also credited for numerous inventions, including the reflecting telescope. When asked how he made his discoveries, Newton replied, “By always thinking unto them. I keep the subject constantly before me, and wait till the first drawings open slowly, by little and little, into a full and clear light.” Public domain photograph.
In the world of physics, the Law of Inertia tells us that an object will remain at rest or move with constant velocity when there is no net force acting upon it. In contrast, an object will accelerate in the direction of an applied force. Sir Isaac Newton, arguably the greatest scientist of all time, quantified this idea by stating that the acceleration of an object is directly proportional to the mass of the object multiplied by the magnitude of the force placed upon it.
With regards to strength training and success, there are three things of worth considering about Newton’s law. First, note that if a body is at rest, it must remain at rest until acted upon by an external force. Second, once a body is set in motion, it will remain in motion, even if the applied force is removed – so long as external factors do not intervene. And, third, the rate of acceleration of an object will increase in direct proportion to the intensity of the applied force.
I bring the three elements of Newton’s law to light not for academic reasons or to explain why a barbell moves, but to reveal a basic truth about human nature. That is to say, Newton's Law can be used to predict a person's success pattern when it is converted into human terms as follows:
A person will remain stagnant until his or her internal forces are mobilized. Once a person gets going with productive action, momentum will take over, and the gained momentum will help drive continued success. Continued action will result in further success gains, a rate which is directly proportional to the frequency of the applied action multiplied by the intensity of effort.
In mathematical terms, our revised Law of Inertia looks like this:
Rate of Success Gain = Frequency of Applied Action x Intensity of Effort.
Perhaps you already can see where I am going with this. Taking action, however small at first, triggers into motion the wheels of success. And, once these wheels start turning, it becomes easier to put forth additional action, both in terms of frequency and intensity. This increase, in turn, brings forth even more success! In contrast, failure to take action today kills momentum and prevents the success wheels from rolling. The result is stagnation and lost opportunities.
What I’m about to say next may appear to have no particular meaning. But, please bear with me and the relevance will soon become apparent. Last year my family and I visited a popular beach in Muskegon, Michigan, which happens to be one of my favorite swimming spots. When I first stepped into Lake Michigan, the water felt really cold. I noticed a number of people around me inching into the huge lake one small step at a time, all the while shivering and complaining about how “frigid” the water was. Seeing that their method of entrance was only prolonging agony, I decided it would be best to take a sudden plunge into the water and get the initial shock over with quickly. My strategy worked quite well. Within a minute or so, the water felt warm to me, and I was enjoying a good swim. In contrast, the people who were inching in the lake step by step made little or no progress. They were still shivering and complaining, and they were still miserable. What they failed to realize is that needless delay kills momentum and ultimately makes things harder and less pleasant. Had these slow folks just taken a sudden dip, they too would have quickly enjoyed the wonderful waves of the lake.
I relate the above story as an analogy to training. Often times a person struggles to find the motivation to get into the gym and begin a workout. Sometimes he or she may legitimately need a rest, but more often than not the problem is caused by lack of internal “fire power.” If this person would just “take a plunge” and start training, most likely the momentum generated would be enough to get the internal fire burning. I can’t tell you how many times I did not feel like training and ended up having one of the best workouts of my life because I forced myself to get started. If I had waited until I “found” motivation, there is no telling how much would have been lost.
So, the next time you don’t feel like training, what are you going to do? Are you going to come up with some creative excuse for postponing your workout? Are you going to give yourself a “break” and train with puny and pathetic weights? Are you going to wait until you are “psyched” before heading to the gym? Or, are you going to get off your butt, visit the gym without delay, and have one of the most productive workouts of your life? The choice is yours. But, remember that a champion never puts off until tomorrow what should be done today.
Feedback
I very much would appreciate receiving feedback from you regarding this article. Please email your comments to robdrucker@musclesofiron.com.