Some thoughts on Falling

I fell down on Sunday.

Not the kind of falling down we did as a kid that can be fixed with a band-aid and a kiss.

The kind of falling down that makes you question your purpose, your worth and yourself. I fell hard.

I mentioned I have been working on several side business for some months now. I had the realization Sunday after putting some money and time towards one of the businesses that it really was not something I enjoyed at all. I was doing it for a paycheck.

It felt like a movie where at the end a twist is revealed that changes the way you think about everything you have been watching for the past 2 hours.

I felt like a fool. A failure. An idiot. And my lucky wife got to hear all about it.

I fell hard and it took a solid day to get back up again.

The thing about falling down is in the midst of it we forget two things:

1) Everyone that has ever achieved something has fallen down. No one skates through life without biting the dust. You are not alone in the struggle. Falling down is a part of movement and movement is a sign of life.

2) Falling down builds perseverance and clarity. You most likely will not fall down in the same way again. You most likely will not fall into the same trap again. You have learned that lesson and can move forward.

Here two days later I am glad I fell down. I was climbing a hill I did not want to be on. I am down a few bucks and hours but I am not out of the game. I now have more clarity of the directions I need to be going. I can be thankful that I fell now as opposed to later where I could have wasted even more money and time and been farther away from my true goals.

I will fall down again…..probably sooner rather than later. It will hurt. I will feel like a fool. My wife will get to hear all about it. I will forget everything I have written here.

But then a day will come when I realize the value of why I fell down. When I realize how much more could have been wasted had I not fallen. When the clarity will sink in.

My pastor said something this past week that put this into perspective a bit. When he faces a negative situation he asks himself what the lasting effect will be of the situation. Will this affect me in 100 years….no. Will this affect me in 10 years…..probably not. Will this affect me in a month. And so on….

What we discover is that many times the tragedy of today does not stand the test of time. In the scope of things it is a minor detail at best. In fact often we find that the tragedy of today can turn into the triumph of tomorrow with the right perspective.

I have been reflecting a lot recently about the mistakes I made in my 20’s. I fell down a lot over the past decade. Like….alot alot. But without those mistakes I would not have the clarity I have now for where I want to be 10 years from now. I will not re-live the mistakes of my 20’s.

The past 10 years have taught me hard lessons that the next 10 years will be thankful for.

You and I will fall down. In fact I believe the bigger your dreams and the harder you work the more you will fall flat on your face…..in public. It will happen and it will hurt.

Use it.

Let it give you clarity. Why did it happen? How can I avoid it happening again?

Don’t wallow in it and focus on what it has cost.

Consider how long this will affect you in the scope of your life.

Don’t let it define you….let it refine you.

Here’s to falling down….