Normally I would consider waking up before the sun awful, but four days of the week, I find myself waking up at 5:30 a.m. to go to school every morning for an hour of strength and conditioning.

Though it was a slow process, my goal for the end of this lifting season was to be able to do one pull up. Often we test to see how far we have improved and on the day of testing, I climbed up to the bar and began to slowly pull myself up.

After what seemed like forever, I finally reached the top and proceeded to make a huge mistake. Instead of lifting my chin up and completing my first pull up, I ducked my head down and dropped. I had failed myself and it was devastating.

Although it was hard, I decided that instead of focusing on my failure, I needed to turn my mistake into a learning experience. Just because I could not do a pull up that day does not mean that I’m never going to be able to do one.

My hard work will eventually pay off, and I will succeed. Not reaching a goal on the first time does not mean it’s unattainable. It only means you have to work harder for the next time.

Since failing to do my first pull up, I have worked hard and made progress with my abilities. I can now finish three sets of eight pull ups with only one resistance band, which for me is a huge improvement. This improvement makes me want to do better for my next set. This drive is what should push us all to continue on our path toward excellence, whether it be in lifting or your academics. It is important to continue working toward your goals, no matter what the obstacles might be. Even if you do not meet your goal, be sure to learn from the experience.

Strength and conditioning has taught me the value of looking past failure, a lesson that I applied outside of the weight room. Seeing a low test grade once would have given me nightmares. However, I now see it as an opportunity to face my weaknesses, and it motivates me to do better the next time. Failing is not a time to get down on yourself, rather an opportunity to strive forward and improve.

Success is not measured by how quickly you achieve your goal. The effort you put in is just as important, if not more important than reaching the final goal. Overcoming my failure made me realize learning from mistakes is what builds a better person. Looking back now, I see that the number of pull ups I can do does not outweigh the lesson strength and conditioning has taught me.