Ninja Warrior creator Kent Weed believes failure is the precursor to success

Do you guys remember the digital series “Crashing the Course” with Alex Weber from three and four years ago? The series gave us an inside look into the courses, the Ninjas, and all sorts of entertaining and insightful behind-the-scenes tidbits. According to Alex, that opportunity was absolutely transformative in his life. And it led to him becoming a Ninja himself!

Last week, on his podcast, Brick by Brick, Alex took a trip down memory lane with the man who first welcomed him in to the Ninja community – Kent Weed.

Kent Weed is an executive producer and creator of American Ninja Warrior, and is someone who Alex greatly admires. As we listened to the podcast, we realized that American Ninja Warrior and Kent Weed are the absolute perfect fit. The prominent themes in Kent’s life seem to be:

*Overcoming obstacles –

Hmmm… sounds similar to a theme from a certain show we all know and love! Alex’s very first question to Kent was, “Have you ever failed?” Kent kind of chuckled and sited numerous failures and obstacles in his life. He didn’t stop at the failures though. He never gave up, and believed in himself to become the successful person he is today. In Kent’s words, ”I really believe that failure is the precursor to success.”

*Trust the Journey. Own your path. Practice gratitude.

When adversity strikes, you don’t have to give up on your dreams. Follow the curves in the road, and be grateful for what you have. Gosh, that sounds familiar too! In the podcast, Kent told the story of losing most of the vision in his left eye. It was a long, hard path, filled with opportunities to slow down and practice mediation. Kent explained, “You can’t let the things that happen to you define you…That’s not who you are…Laugh about it. I bump into things. I bump into my kids…I didn’t let it stop me… ‘I can’t’ doesn’t exist in my vocabulary.”

Alex summarized it so well when he agreed, saying, “Own it. Joking about it takes the power out of it.”

Photo by Emma McIntyre/Getty Images

*Be your best

“I don’t care what you do in your life. Just do your best and be your best.”

This is a message that Kent took from his dad as a child, and it has always stuck with him. Kent has leaned on this mentality in every job he’s ever had, and he believes the Ninjas have this mentality too. Kent says, “The Ninjas want to be the best they can at the obstacle course. I don’t think they realize that by doing that, they’re being their best selves in all areas of their lives.”

Fittingly, Kent’s goal is to produce content that helps people realize their value and their potential. We’d say he’s nailing it!

To listen to the full podcast, click here.