Do our low moments inspire us or crush us?  Do we bury them or embrace them?

Between the ages of seven and nineteen years old, I played in nearly a hundred tackle football games.  It was the defining activity of my youth.  It kept me focused and goal-oriented.  I loved the intense competition.   I loved bonding with my teammates, unified by a single mission to win.

And on every play, I vowed never to let my teammates down.  I vowed to pursue the ball carrier with reckless abandon.  I vowed to deliver the hit rather than sit back on my heels.  I vowed to obliterate any obstacles in my path.  Every play except for one.

In college, I eventually abandoned the dream of playing Varsity Football and settled onto a highly competitive Club Football team.  It was a glorious experience which kept my unquenchable love of football alive.  We suited up.  We traveled.  We got after it.

But there is one play in one game that haunts me to this day.  We were on the road, under the lights, playing in front of a huge crowd.  By the start of the 4th quarter, we were getting destroyed.  Down 51-0, feeling beaten up and dejected, the other team ran a simple handoff up the middle.

I started to take on the lead blocker and then, essentially, gave up.  As I lay face down in the dirt, the back ran right past me.  I heard the crowd cheer for a 15-yard gain but I couldn’t take my eyes off the dust as it swirled around my head.  It was an unremarkable play in the waning moments of  a relatively meaningless Club Football game.  And yet I can’t forget it.

It was the one time I didn’t give my full effort.  It was the one time I let my teammates down with my lack of hustle.  It was not the only time I failed.  But it was the one time I didn’t play to my God-given potential.  And that is a bitter pill.

But over the years, I have come to embrace that moment.  Now I know the gut-wrenching feeling of disgust.  Now I know the empty pain of laying down and giving up.  I have used that as motivation to keep on grinding.  And, because I hold on to a piece of that agony, I know I will never take my foot off the pedal again.

And the same is true for all of us.

Failure is Motivation

In our work lives, we all have moments we regret.  Failing to prepare properly for a big pitch.  Blowing off a big assignment.  Not devoting enough time to a large client.  Mailing in a lesson plan for our students.  Taking an opponent too lightly as a coach.

We don’t strive to disappoint and underachieve.  We don’t set out to fail.  None of these are proud moments.   But we can use them to our advantage.  We can hold on to a tiny piece of these mortifying moments and use it as motivation to do better.

We can’t appreciate how awful it is to lose if we have never tasted defeat.

Embrace the Undignified Moments

The same is true in our personal lives.  We can’t always live up to our own incredibly high standards.  Sometimes, we take those we love for granted.  Sometimes, we fail to stick  up for those closest to us.  Sometimes, we focus too much on ourselves and our own best interests.  These are not proud moments.

These moments can eat away at us.  These moments can unleash shame and embarrassment.  These moments can cause us to retreat into a shell.

But if we are going to stay resilient, we need to embrace these undignified moments.  We need to use them as fuel to become better men and women.  We need to keep these moments in the forefront of our minds when faced with similar scenarios in the future.  That is the only way to ensure we never let them happen again!

The Best is Yet to Come

None of us is perfect.  That is okay.  But how will we handle those disappointing moments?  Will they slowly erode our confidence and self-worth?  Will they paralyze us and stunt our growth?  Or will they light our powder keg of resilience and propel us to new heights of achievement?

You don’t try to forget your mistakes.  They can teach you many things.  But at some point, you have to focus on your future. –Johnny Cash

We can’t live our lives in the rear view mirror.  We can’t beat ourselves up for our mistakes.  But we can use them as a tool to keep moving forward.  We can channel the negative moments from the past into a catalyst to crush the future.

The opportunities for success are endless.  And the best day is the day that is coming.