Live and learn
My family and I recently moved into a new home. On move in day, my wife and I did our best field general impressions, barking out orders to family and friends as to which boxes should be carried into which rooms. After the U-haul and multiple car loads of our stuff was finally unloaded (it’s amazing how much stuff we have), it was then time to begin the process of organizing the new house.
Items we knew we would be using right away, we immediately gave a place. Some items worked out great and are still being stored/used in that same spot. Other items we learned were not going to work in that area, and we eventually found a better spot for them. Some of these changes were made quickly in just a matter of days/weeks, while it took several months for us to realize that other items needed to be switched.
Then there were the items that we either didn’t know what to do with or we believed we would set up later when we had the time to do so. We didn’t even try to give these items a spot, leaving them in boxes and storing them in piles in the garage. You can probably guess that those items are still in those same boxes and piles. Sadly I admit I have even moved the boxes/piles around (multiple times) because they were in the way!
It was only by application that we learned if something worked or didn’t work in the new house. Sure, we had to move things around a few times but through our efforts and with each hole in the drywall we learned important information about how to arrange our new home. We currently have no data (good or bad) for the items left in boxes and are left to ponder the numerous amount of possibilities of where it could all go.
The same holds true in your life. You are going to make mistakes along the way; however, through failure, you will gain invaluable data about how to succeed in the future. As the old saying goes, “live and learn,” because if you’re scared to fail, you’re never going to accomplish/experience anything in this life. Your dreams are going to be like those boxes sitting in our garage just waiting to be unpacked. Remember, it is only through failure that we become.
Coach Nelson holds a doctorate in sport and performance psychology and currently serves as a high school football coach. He has worked for multiple professional sport franchises, a Fortune 100 Company, a division 1 athletic departments and has won numerous awards for his LEADership abilities.
His mission is to positively influence the world through Love, Effort, Attitude and Discipline (#LEAD). To learn more about the LEAD philosophy follow him on Twitter Levi Nelson or reach out via email at rln10@zips.uakron.edu He’d love to learn about or help you in your journey!
