If you have kids I am sure you try to teach them everything you can to make them better people and hopefully put them on a path to success. I definitely try to teach my kids both what is good and what is bad, mistakes I have made that they should try to avoid. In the end though, I truly believe the best way to learn is by doing and not being told.
I was on a long trail run on Saturday and the conditions were slick, a combination of mud, ice and snow. As I ran the downhills I was doing everything I could to avoid falling. This involved slowing down considerably, taking the switchbacks wide, going off trail to drier ground or whatever else I could think of to avoid falling. It struck me half-way through the run, as I got into a meditative state, that I was doing exactly what I tell my children to avoid doing when they are out on the trails hiking with me – worrying about falling.
When we going hiking I tell them before we even start that they might fall and that is okay. I take it a step further and say if we don’t fall we probably are not challenging ourselves enough so embrace falling and look at is a badge of honor. I don’t want to see my kids fall and get hurt, but I also don’t want them to be afraid to fall and never know what their limits are. Of course, this can be applied to how we live our lives. It is easy to be cautious, but is that any way to live?
As I ran and did my best to avoid falling I began to ask myself, “am I living the way I am trying to teach my children to live or am I simply telling them how I wish I lived and hope they practice what I preach and not as I do?” I came to the sad conclusion that it might be the latter. I could feel sorry for myself that I am living inside the box or I could do something about it and try to break free and push myself to new things. Is it too late for me? I don’t think it is ever too late to get out of our comfort zones and push ourselves. Yes, I will probably “fall,” but like anything, when we get up we are usually stronger.
They say the biggest regrets people have are the things they did not do. The reason people don’t try those things is because they are afraid to “fall.” We are afraid of what people will think of us for failing, but the truth is that the people that matter most to you will support you and be there to pick you up when you “fall.” The people that think you are a “loser” because you failed shouldn’t matter, they are probably jealous that you had the guts to take a chance they were afraid of taking. It is easy to be an armchair quarterback then be out on the field.
