Skating Lessons

My daughter just started taking skating lessons at the Petit National Ice Center. Can you guess what the instructors teach first at this Olympic training center? They teach the students how to get up. 

I love this. We all fall. What separates those who succeed from those who don't? Getting up. Those who succeed get up over and over again. The rest sit on the ice and whine: 

"It's too hard."

"No one supports me."

"Why do I keep falling?"

Last week I listened to creativity expert Sir Ken Robinson's TED talk. He said, "If you're not prepared to be wrong, you'll never come up with anything original."

In other words, those who succeed are willing to create something that others may mock (or worse). Scary! Most of us want the approval of other people. Once we know (or think we know) what pleases our audience, we do it over and over again. 

This week, try something different. Take a risk with your work. Get curious. Be willing to produce something you cannot use. As Samuel Beckett said, "Ever tried? Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better."

Just remember this: get up and try again. Like the old proverb says, "Fall seven times. Stand up eight."