Failure Judo: Take Time to Recover

07/31/2020

The 11th and final part of the Failure Judo series

The final chapter in this Failure Judo series is perhaps the most important, as well as the most often forgotten.  It’s easy to get so wrapped up in the doing, and so caught up in the push forward, that we forget the balance of life and everything.  You don’t have to believe in Chinese Mythology or Eastern Religion to acknowledge the value of Yin and Yang, or the concept that life is full of opposite things that work together by pushing in opposite directions, thereby balancing each other out.  In the case of our personal growth, or striving toward a goal, it is easy to get ourselves out of balance by working nonstop, pushing harder, and never stopping.

However, if this is our philosophy, we will soon find out that being “on” all the time just leads to running out of steam, falling apart, or quitting altogether.  Even the most elite athletes incorporate strategic periods of rest into their most intense periods of training. Growth in our muscles only happens when we rest.  Growth in our thinking often happens in periods of quiet reflection in between activity.  We need the balance of opposites, the Yin and Yang of work and rest, to help us grow through failure.

Specifically, as it relates to failure and some of the tactics of failure, this rest period is what gives us the space to make those tactics happen.  If we are so busy failing, or practicing, or doing what we do, then we won’t ever have the time to sit down and unpack our learning.  It’s said that Kobe Bryant, one of the greatest basketball players of all time, spent hours and hours studying game footage.  This is true of many of the greats, regardless of the sport or venue.

There is a time to push forward with failure, and there is a time to rest, recover, and think.  If you want to be great at anything, make sure you balance the two.

The 11th and final part of the Failure Judo series