Make A Habit of Falling Down

"You can't become a decent horseman until you fall off and get up again, a good number of times. There's life in a nutshell." ― Bear Grylls

Falling down is a requirement for advancement. To pretend otherwise hampers growth. The fall is a lesson in what doesn't work mixed with a healthy dose of humble pie. Getting up is the only acceptable response, followed by the next attempt employing the lesson learned.

Fun fact! I was a figure skater in my youth. No, not the ice skating kind... the kind with four wheels. I did everything from figures to dance to freestyle. I was terrible when I started. I competed at a national level when I stopped.

I was an expert sweeper with the seat of my pants... so much so that it became a famous running joke with my teammates. I fell on my knees, hands, bottom, back, head and my face. I even fell on other people... my partners!

If ever there was an expert at falling down, that expert was me. I fell down so much that I thought nothing of it. I was equally at peace on the ground and in the air so long as I kept improving.

You'd think hurling your body into the air at great speed with multiple rotations before landing on four slippery wheels on concrete or hardwood would be frightening. But I learned how to fall. And it wasn't so scary anymore. I would smile, sometimes grimace, and get back up.

After a while, my skill improved dramatically. And yet... I kept falling, because I refused to settle. I reached for more by ratcheting up the difficulty. My frequency of falling became a barometer of skill measured against difficulty. I learned how to fall... and how to get back up in style.

Never view falling as failure. See the truth of it as I did.

Falling down is a necessary part of trial and error in motion. Observe...

• The newborn attempting to walk
• The young gymnast attempting to tumble
• The skateboarder mastering one trick after another

They succeed or learn. Win-Win!

Falling teaches. Getting back up strengthens.

Fall often, my friends.

Food for Thought

Did you view falling as something to be avoided?

How do you feel about falling now?

What are some recent lessons falling down taught you?

Are you falling down enough?

One Small Step

The next time you fall down, take a moment to think (and recover). Then apply the lesson learned to your next attempt. Remember there is no failure if you heed the lesson of every fall. And if you aren't falling, maybe you aren't stretching enough?