About a month ago, I was hit by a car while riding my motorcycle. The car side-swiped me and took off. My bike bounced off the car, shot out from under me, and I rolled under the car. Amazingly enough, I stood up, picked up my bike, and got to the side of the street without any problems. All I had was a small bit of road rash on my elbow. I was lucky!
However, I'm not writing this to acquire oohs and ahhs, but to discuss one important lesson I learned from this incident that applies very well to life in general. The basic lesson I learned here was that, now that I am confident in hitting the ground and surviving, I have actually become a much better rider. Of course, they do say that there are only two types of motorcycle riders --- those who have gone down, and those who have not.
--- Change and Balance ---
At the beginning of many of my coaching sessions, my clients ask me why things fall apart, out of the blue, once they get moving along in their lives. Believe it or not, there is an answer. It has to do with balance, lessons, and traversing new and unknown paths. In all cases, the only time we encounter challenges is when we decide to move forward toward a new goal. In our movement, we throw our environment into an imbalance causing a chain reaction of events around us to push balance back into the situation.
We usually see this surge for balance as a problem, challenge, or issue and then back off to fall back into the safety of the original situation. But, realize, that such surges are merely in response to your own desire to change. When you initiate change, your environment creates an equal and opposite force against change. It is called "nature".
--- Crash and Burn ---
Once we are able to overcome the initial inertia of change and move forward, we inevitably encounter challenges that will cause us to stumble and fall. Such challenges are not in place to cause us to quit, but are there to wake us up and make us realize that we can endure much more than we thought we could and still continue along our path. Falling enables us to see our own character and abilities to prepare us for the future challenges. This is a stair-step approach to bettering ourselves and becoming stronger in our resolve.
However, the important part of falling is that you learn how far you have to go to hit the ground. In many cases, we fear falling because it's going to hurt. Indeed, wiping out at 50mph is painful, but survivable. But, once you know what it feels like and can maintain your wits when you hit the ground, getting up and doing it again is easy because you know that you will survive. In the end, you are better able to pursue the ultimate goal because you are no longer afraid of falling, or failing.
--- What's next? ---
I once heard the saying, "if you fall on your face, at least you were moving forward." It's an interesting statement because, the only way to fall forward is if you have forward momentum when you fell. It's an excellent view to accept when moving toward a goal as it can help make the potential falls easier to bear. This, because, inevitably, we will fall. But, so many times we get caught up in the negative aspects of failure, or falling. Instead, view it as a wake-up call or a way to desensitize yourself so that you can focus on your goal. In this way, future falls won't be so dramatic and our fear of falling won't get in the way of achieving our desires.
About The Author
Edward B. Toupin is an author, life-strategy coach, counselor, and technical writer living in Las Vegas, NV. Among other things, he authors books, articles, and screenplays on topics ranging from career success through life organization and fulfillment. For more information, e-mail Edward at etoupin@toupin.com or visit his sites at etoupin@toupin.com or etoupin@toupin.com.
move in cleaning service Mundelein ..Did you know that your past, present, and future can... Read More
As a golfer and coach, I've been thrilled to watch... Read More
"The secret of success is to make what you are... Read More
Have you ever felt as if you are beating your... Read More
Many UK citizens want to settle or retire in Spain... Read More
Thoughts move faster than the speed of light.Expectations jump faster... Read More
This revelation hit me the other day while I was... Read More
I am unashamed to copy the peak performance techniques of... Read More
Ever have those days where no matter what you try... Read More
I have been studying several books lately that deal with... Read More
In the Greek tale of creation, a Titan (Greek god)... Read More
Wealth is more than money. It's abundance, or as the... Read More
Reading is an integral part of our daily work lives.... Read More
"Fighting to pay the bills is hardly worth it? fight... Read More
Ray Kroc, the founder of McDonalds, was over fifty when... Read More
Choose "impossible" goals When faced with a hard-to-reach goal, your... Read More
Ray Winstone, the London East End barrow boy, who became... Read More
Noted author and self-worth teacher Eric Butterworth* says, "Poverty is... Read More
I am writing this article to cement two key success... Read More
In this article we mention 7 tips for your success.... Read More
One of the hallmarks of all successful and high achieving... Read More
The TRUE BMI of SUCCESS (B)e a (M)illionaire (I)ndexWhy am... Read More
The very first "motivational speaker" I heard as an adult... Read More
With the long-term trend of protecting employees' individual self esteem... Read More
I wrote an article on this very subject, with the... Read More
insured cleaning company Highland Park ..Have you been struggling for years to accomplish some goals... Read More
The first thing that you need to do is get... Read More
Success! Easy to talk about, but difficult to achieve. Or... Read More
Remove these words from your vocabulary!The words "If only ?"... Read More
Have you ever wondered why some people seem to be... Read More
Thoughts move faster than the speed of light.Expectations jump faster... Read More
Quote of the month: Am I working to live or... Read More
In my work with clients, the issue of perspectives comes... Read More
McDonald's does it, why shouldn't you? Life is filled with... Read More
I don't need to be a gypsy fortune teller to... Read More
Arsenal Football Club were the Champions of the Premier league... Read More
Believe in your own Divine nature Despite the varying religious... Read More
Friendly competition Get together with a group of like-minded friends... Read More
FOCUSAs you're building your business, you can choose to win... Read More
I've been coaching for a few years now, and the... Read More
I spoke recently with the owner of a large clothing... Read More
Accelerated learning is not only practical, it is profitable. Acquiring... Read More
Are you successful? What does that word mean to you?... Read More
Do you think you have an "average" or perhaps an... Read More
Periodically re-check and refine (or redefine) your goals It's no... Read More
The best way to predict your future is to create... Read More
These days success is a hotly debated subject. Nevertheless, people... Read More
Many people ask me how they can be more successful.The... Read More
Think out of the box, they say. But what's a... Read More
Why is it that most people still equate being successful... Read More
Success |