Why I Ascend: "There’s no success without failure"

I came across this quote the other day and it was exactly what I needed to hear. So I wanted to share with you.

“Never regret a day in your life: Good days give happiness, bad days give experience, worst days give lessons, and best days give memories.”

Owning my own business often feels like an uphill battle. At times, I ask myself why I keep going. I wonder what makes me dig deep and what prevents me from giving up. I found that the answer lies in Ascend itself – the true meaning behind “how and why I Ascend.”And the way we ride at Ascend has become the way I approach the physical, mental, and emotional challenges in my life.I built Ascend as the one place where I can really let go, remember, and redefine who I really am – it’s where I can push myself to be a better version of myself.And I’m passionate about creating an environment where other people can do the same. But it hasn’t been easy.The past few years I’ve felt like I’ve constantly been falling on my face and have had to pick myself back up and keep going. Those falls have come in the shape of business decisions I would have made differently had I known better, failed relationships with team members, financial stresses, trying to please everyone but realizing I can’t, and the nights and weekends away from my family when I ask myself “Why am I doing this?”These are the realities of running a business – they’re the experiences I lose sleep and shed tears over, but they are also the ones that teach me the most.The Ascend methodology is built on the premise that there’s no success without failure – the concept of failure in fitness is essential to progress. What happens when you push your body so hard (what we call our Peak Zone) that you have to recover? You ultimately get stronger. We prove to ourselves that each and every time we try, the pushes get longer, the recovery gets shorter, and we get better.This concept of failure preceding success applies to life outside of fitness, too. The Ascend brand grew from the way I try to live my life and how I approach owning a small business. “A better version of yourself” is not about perfection, but rather continually improving the things that matter most to you. And for me as a business owner, it’s about constantly improving the Ascend experience by focusing on what matters most to our community and team.We are always a work in progress – we strive to climb higher in life and find the mental strength through fitness to tackle any challenge that comes our way.Because here’s the thing: life happens, and challenges are always waiting for us – we face uphill battles at work and in our personal lives, we feel tired, we wonder if we can keep going. But we can. And we do. And the lessons I’ve learned about myself on the bike – that I can keep going when I’m tired, that I can endure if I just show up for myself – those are the same lessons I’m applying to life off the bike.Despite the challenges, I love that Ascend has become a place for people in our community to become a better version of themselves. The testimonials, the friends I’ve made, the friendships formed within our Ascend family over a shared love of instructors and music, and giving people a space to focus on their health – both physical and mental – those are my why.Because to me, it’s more than just a fitness studio. It’s a lifestyle. It’s the reason I keep going. It’s the reason I Ascend.