This is Why We Fall

"For a righteous man falls seven times, and rises again..." - Proverbs 24:16 AMP

I remember many years ago stumbling on the back steps of my parents' house. I was about five years old and not very well coordinated at the time. Too much speed and not enough control.

I sprawled forward and slammed my forehead into the corner of a brick wall near the door. I split my head open, and blood ran all over the place. I was dazed, scared, confused, in lots of pain.

Next thing I knew I was in the emergency room of a local hospital with staff around me poking and prodding the wound, seeking a way to close it. I remember feeling stitches, smelling alcohol, disinfectant, latex covered hands, seeing glaring lights in the room. It was traumatic to say the least. I still have a faint trace of the original scar in my forehead to remind me of that day.

Fast forward many years to a recent incident. I was carrying a couple of bags and about to climb the back steps when I stumbled and lurched forward. (I should be less clumsy, right...? NOT!)

But this time instead of panicking I relaxed, released the bag I was carrying and put my hands out in front of me. Everything seemed to slow down as I fell forward but I was in total control. No panic at all. My body went limp except for my arms which I used to cushion the fall. I fell softly on my hands and did a slight push-up which kept me from hitting the hard pavement and getting a serious injury.

Why was this time so different? What changed? Why didn't I panic, freeze up and get severely hurt like the first time?

Because I learned how to fall, how to reach the ground without doing serious damage.

Years ago I saw a training (Boy Scouts, I believe) demonstrating how to fall without getting seriously hurt. You place your hands in front of your body before your body hits the ground, or the floor. 

This taught me how to relax before impact so I could cushion myself from injury. If you can calm your body as you fall things seem to slow down. This provides sense of control you can't get if you're in a panic. 

I tried it several times, especially when I played sports (baseball and softball gave me a great opportunity to try it out when I attempted head first slides), and it worked like a charm.

I learned something else that was just as important: it is possible to get back up on your feet after falling down. Falling down is not the end of the world. All is not lost. As the old saying goes you can "...pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and start all over again..."

Think of it: how many of us would have never learned to walk as toddlers if we gave up after the first few tries? How would it look to see a bunch of so-called able bodied grown ups crawling around on all fours? Or even just rolling over because they didn't take the time to master the skills of gaining one's balance through lifting the head, crawling, toddling, walking, then eventually running? Unsettling, I would think. Maybe even a bit weird. 

It would be equally strange to see people wallowing in self pity, sitting on their "blessed assurances" after one or two falls because they saw no point in trying again. It seemed so easy to just give up. To quit.

Granted that's what many people do mentally, even emotionally in the face of setbacks at times but imagine if their physical response matched precisely.  It might be awkward indeed.

What am I saying here? Simply this: to fall down, even to fail, is not the end of the world. It's normal, like breathing. Learning how to fall is like learning how to fail: it is a skill that can be mastered over time if consistently applied and improved as corrections are made. 

It is not the end of the world to fall. It is not even the end of the world to fail. Championship teams in sports, in business, even in life are a great example. If you see only their moments of triumph you miss the big picture. They suffer defeat just like unsuccessful teams do. They had times of trial, of adversity, times when things didn't work out and they could have easily thrown in the towel, given up.... 

But they didn't.  They persisted. They persevered. They used their failures as lessons, as tuition payments that propelled them forward to their moments in the sun. As a result they did a better job of handling defeat than the so-called "losing" teams did.

You can do the same thing. So can I. So can we all. Everyone has moments where they fall short. Rather than write them off as total disasters let's use them instead as lessons to make corrections, adjust our approach so we can get closer to where we want to go, do what we want to do, become who we were truly meant to be. Not to sound trite but maybe that's why erasers are still put on pencils. 

(Full disclosure: I've lost count of how many times I've used delete and spell check just writing this piece, so I know what I'm saying. I trust you do, too)

Falling is not a sign of weakness, it's a sign of strength. It shows that there is something you need to learn in order to stand tall. Be willing to persist until you learn what that something is. Stay in the game, fight the good fight. I've heard it said that the definition of a good fight is a fight you stay in until you win. 

Resist giving up. Persist until you can move forward. As you do you'll be able to say with confidence and conviction:

That's all for now, gotta run.  Until next time, remember...

Keep it simple...  See ya!