As I watched the Olympics the past two weeks, I kept thinking about how many times each athlete must have fallen in their journey to make it to the Olympics. Here’s what About.com says about figure skating:
If You Are Going to Skate, You Are Going to Fall:
If you are a figure skater, you must understand that if you are going to skate, you are going to fall. That’s a fact. Practicing falling over and over again is the only way to learn how to fall safely.
Falling is part of the process of learning to succeed. If the figure skaters weren’t willing to go out on the ice and fall again and again, they’d never learn how to jump beautifully and gracefully, they’d never perfect fancy footwork moves, and they’d never win any competitions.
It’s the same way in life. If you want to accomplish great things and follow through with your goals, you’ve got to get over your fear of falling.
It’s easy to sit in the bleachers as a spectator. It’s comfortable and safe. And you won’t get any bumps, bruises, or injuries from it.
But it also guarantees that you’ll never see progress, you’ll never experience the fulfillment that comes from putting it all on the line, you’ll never succeed, and you’ll never make a difference in someone else’s life.
Getting out onto the rink requires risk. You’re not going to hit a home run every time you try a new idea, start a new business, invest in a relationship, or attempt a new skill. In fact, most of the time, you’re probably going to stumble, struggle, or even fall flat on your face.
That is how you learn best. Each time you fall and get back up and try again, you become a little bit stronger, a little more sure of your footing, a little more successful. You learn what works and what doesn’t.
Do you want to be safe or do you want to succeed? The choice is yours.
Tshanina | Thrifty T's Treasures says
This was extremely encouraging to me; thanks Crystal!
Crystal Paine says
I’m so grateful!
Cynthia says
With my children, we had the belief that they “fail forward to success”.
People who are overprotective and don’t allow their childrent to fail, don’t allow them the dignity to learn to pick themselves up and go forward.
Yes, it is hard sometimes, but we won’t always be there to save them from tough experiences.
It isn’t how many times we fail, it is that we keep trying!
Luba says
What a great article, Crystal. This reminds me of the book Go for No! Yes is the Destination, No is How You Get There by Andrea Waltz and Richard Fenton. Have you heard of it?
Jennifer says
I got really good at falling while learning to do headstands during yoga. But, I never thought about applying that scenario to the rest of my life…
Jennifer says
p.s. congrats on hitting the 600,000 Facebook fans mark!
Crystal Paine says
Thank you so much! I was excited to hit that this morning. 🙂
SandyH says
I once saw the inventor of Spanx, a woman, on Oprah. Every day when she was growing up her dad would ask her, ” what have you failed at today?” She explained that he felt that failing was the only way to learn, and to give you the drive to succeed. He must have been right, she’s a millionaire many times over…
Sarah @ Little Bus on the Prairie says
I love that! My oldest tends toward perfectionism and I think that asking her something like that daily might help put failure into a different perspective. Thanks!
Diana says
This probably applies to motherhood too–instead of getting so worked up about failing to ___ (finish laundry, find a great deal, wash dishes before bed, etc.), realize it’s a learning experience and move on.
Thanks for the encouragement!
Sarah says
I was not even thinking about it that way, but you are so right. Thanks for pointing that out. 🙂
Crystal Paine says
Such a good reminder!
Brit says
Thank you!! I was just thinking about that too! 🙂
Jamie Rohrbaugh says
Awesome point. I have failed more times than I can count, but you’re right, each time has helped me get better at something important.