The other day while I was gardening with a music playlist in the background, a Paul Simon song I had never heard came on. It’s called Learn How To Fall.
Do you know this one?
Essentially, he suggests that we must learn how to fall before we learn how to fly.
I literally stopped my weeding to think about that idea.
Why?
Because it made so much sense. If I were a bird and had the ability to fly, I’d definitely practice landing/falling until I was good at it. Then I might not be afraid to soar.
In a way, it’s not much different with failure and success, right?
We often have to be willing to fail – maybe even get good at it- before we are successful.
I think sometimes, though, we omit those parts of the narratives when we admire other people’s success stories, or emulate them.
So how can we get good at falling or failing?
When I think about that, the first question I ask myself is: what am I willing to try that moves me out of my comfort zone?
Whenever you want to grow or change you have to be willing to get uncomfortable.
Recently, I was sharing something that my Dad said to me when I was in high school. At the time, I was really trying to do well in school, applying myself and studying a lot. One evening I was talking to my father about it, how hard it felt to remember facts and figures and level up.
He nodded, acknowledging my struggle and then went on to say, “imagine that all your knowledge surrounds you like a big bubble and you are sitting in the center of that space.”
I could see myself.
“Now, think about when you want to learn something new. Where do you have to be? At the edge of the bubble pushing it outwards, right?”
“Right.”
“And when you’re at the edges pushing to expand your bubble, it’s uncomfortable and can feel difficult.”
He smiled.
I smiled back.
“Eventually, you have a breakthrough and grow your bubble and then it doesn’t feel as hard.”
What was he telling me?
That sometimes things feel uncertain, unstable, confusing, hard. But if we keep going, eventually, we’ll get it.
Think about your own life, or even someone you know. What took them time to accomplish? What did NOT come easy?
Riding a bike
Getting into medical school
Having a baby
Publishing a book
Landing a recurring role
Learning a language
Life can feel full of challenges, or maybe they are simply opportunities disguised to build our resiliency and fortitude.
Either way, making peace with falling/failing paves the way for ultimate success.
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Image courtesy of Monika Grabkowska on Unsplash