Fall Seven Times, Stand Up Eight
“Fall seven times, stand up eight.” – Chinese proverb
When a toddler is learning how to walk, falling is inevitable.
When a toddler falls, do we stand there and watch them lie on the ground?
Usually not. Instead, we pick them up.
When we pick them up, do we then sit them down or do we put them back on their feet to try again?
We usually do the latter.
Why do we do this?
Why do we put them back on their feet to only watch them take a step and fall again?
I believe we continue to put them on their feet because we believe that one of these times, just one of those times, they actually are going to walk without falling!
We smart adults understand that it takes trying again and again and falling again and again to actually succeed in the end.
To think that we’re never going to fall is ludicrous!
To never put a toddler back on their feet because we’re afraid they’re going to fall again is unheard of!
Face it. Failure is a part of life. It’s a part of trying something new. It’s a way of learning what works and what doesn’t work.
When you fall, pick yourself back up on your feet and quickly.
If you just choose to sit and sulk and feel sorry for yourself or start blaming someone else for your failure, you never move on and you never move forward.
Every success story, whether it’s fame, fortune, making it through cancer treatment, or a tremendous weight loss, has experienced failure to some degree.
In fact, I think that because we know that falling is inevitable, sometimes we don’t even try.
The point is not to avoid falling; instead, it’s to learn from your mistakes and get back on your feet as quickly as possible.
So you had two pieces of your friend’s birthday cake when you vowed to have only one bite. Is it the end of the world or the end of your healthy lifestyle for that matter?
Of course not.
Life is about trial and error.
Just as you would pick up the toddler after they’ve fallen, pick yourself up, brush yourself off, learn your lesson, and keep going.
This is the only way to not only get in the best shape of your life, but stay there.
Be the tortoise, not the hare,
