“One man scorned and covered with scars still strove with his last ounce of courage to reach the unreachable stars; and the world will be better for this.” -Miguel de Cervantes

Even though we may be ashamed of our scars, there is something beautiful about the scars we produce. They are testaments to a unique story that we have experienced. Many of our scars serve as a reminder about past injuries or incidents. For example, they tell of a time in the ICU, a wrong turn made on a skateboard or a surgery. We may even see our stretch marks as a scar. Other scars can be internal, like those on the soul or the mind, which often have long lasting effects on us. Such scars can even bring up intense emotions that we don’t want others to see because the memory of the story cuts too deep.

Regardless of where we are branded, our scars can stop us from trying new things in life or even things we used to do. They can prevent us from feeling strong enough to tackle challenges that come our way or even day-to-day maintenance of our health. Furthermore, our scars can make us lose our confidence and even result in having a fear to succeed.

As you may know, the talented and Grammy Award-winning singer Seal has scars on his face. They were caused by discoid lupus erythematosus, a very rare form of lupus that chronically brings about sores and inflammation above the neck. As a result, his face became heavily scarred by the age of 23. For many people, these scars would hold us back and make us feel extremely self-conscious and unconfident. Seal obviously has not let his circumstances stop him from pursuing his goals. In Rolling Stone Magazine, Seal revealed how these scars initially caused great heartache, but over time he came to accept them. He stated, “If I could design something, I don’t think I could do it better.”

The question is, how can we see past our own scars, just like how Seal has done, and strive for success? Here are some things to help us overcome the fear of failure:

1. Acknowledge the negative beliefs that are destroying you. Name them one by one.
2. Use your past to direct your future in a positive way by thinking through why you are currently standing in your own way. This means thinking about when this fear formed.
3. Imagine what success looks like to you. Is it eating less sugar? Or maybe it is losing 10 pounds. Or maybe it is shortening your swim time by 1/8th of a second.
4. Be open for advice. (You probably already are since you are reading this).
5. Simplify the tasks you need to do to achieve your goals. Put COR to good use by consulting with our nutritionist and trainers. They can help you reach your goals in a healthy way.
6. Embrace the fact that failure will happen. Just remember that this is expected and COR will help you get back on track.

I encourage you to see your scars as a story of victory and a reminder that there is always a new chapter. We can think of our scars as success stories, where an initial turn of unfortunate events ultimately lead us forward. Just remember: you survived, you persevered, and you accomplished! Don’t be the one standing in the way of your success, but instead be the reason you do succeed. Just because scars can be permanent doesn’t mean failure has to be.