Falling and failing are part of living

It’s the last Wednesday of November, already! And time for some Wednesday Wisdom to move us towards December.

I think today’s words of wisdom are particularly special because they come from a man who authentically lived them.

Falling and failing are part of living. They can be big, spectacular, chin-scraping falls, a slight trip or something in between.

We’re human, so we don’t get everything right, and even when we’re striving for excellence there’s always something more to improve, something else to learn, no matter how slight.

So when (not if) we do fall, we have a choice. Even, and maybe especially, when it feels like we don’t. We always have a choice.

We can stay where we are, tell ourselves it can’t be done or that we can’t do it, and settle for that.

Or, we can point out to ourselves that we found a way not to do something, which in itself is a lesson, and that we need to change or do something differently, find a new way, explore more. And then we can rise, pat ourselves on the back while we dust ourselves off, chin up and shoulders back, and take that next courageous step forward.

The size of the step doesn’t matter, as long as it’s forward.

Where we’re going is in front of us, not behind us. And we won’t get there wallowing in self-pity or shying away from our potential.