The Rep That Makes the Difference Last week I mentioned I had just returned from a Powerful Men’s Immersion with my coach Ankush Jain. My eighth time attending.
I know eight times might seem excessive to some. One of the men there, on his second Immersion, admitted that on his first, he’d thought, “If this is so good, why the f#k would anyone need to come back?”
This time, not only did he return … he’s already lining up for a third.
As for me, I came home with a handbook full of insights that could fill this newsletter for the next year … and that’s why I keep going.
One of those insights came on day five, during a session in the Barn (photo below from the September 2023 Immersion). We were talking about integrity … not in the moral sense, but in the sense of keeping our word.
This isn’t a new topic for me. I speak about it with clients all the time. But as the conversation unfolded, I found myself reflecting on something else:
How I treat myself in the moments when I don’t keep my word.
In the past, I was harsh. Critical. Quick to judge. I’d mentally beat myself up for not doing what I said I’d do.
That’s shifted.
These days I’m kinder. More curious. I’ve started to see those moments as opportunities … reps for growth.
Which reminded me of something from the gym.
When I’m training with my coach Conor, we’ll often do bench presses for four rounds. The final round is different. That’s when he often says, “Go to failure, Pete.”
He means: keep going until I literally cannot do another rep. That last rep … the one I can’t complete … is the one that creates the gain. It’s the rep that makes the difference.
So why is it that in business, leadership, or life, when we hit the edge of our ability, we treat failure as something to avoid or feel ashamed of?
What if failure is simply the point of our current limit?
What if that’s the money rep … the one that builds capacity, stretches performance, and reveals what’s next?
What if we could meet those moments with:
“Brilliant! What can I learn here? How can I grow?”
What if we stopped using failure to define our limits … and started using it to expand them?
What if these moments are exactly what we need to turn today’s ceiling into tomorrow’s floor?
(You can read more about ‘ceilings and floors’ in my recent newsletter here .)
So let me ask you …
How do you relate to failure?
Do you judge yourself harshly or meet yourself with kindness and curiosity?
Do you see failure as evidence of limitation … or as feedback from the edge of growth?
If growth is always available … and I believe it is … then failure may teach us more than success ever could.
And how you treat yourself in those moments might be the key that either unlocks the next level of your business and leadership … or keeps you stuck at the one you’re in.
If you’re spinning your wheels, stuck in self-judgment, and ready to create your next breakthrough …
Call me. I may be able to help.
Much love,