Skaters are Philosophers

Hey family!

Earlier, I was having a conversation with someone who skateboards to try and learn about the ins and outs of the skill. My mind could never make sense of how people can do some of those tricks, and truthfully I'm not even quite sure if I could stay on the board for longer than 30 seconds without tearing my other ACL. 

Anyways, she explained to me that once you get a handle on the basics, the rest is mostly a mental game. She emphasized that you had to fully commit to doing the trick, all while knowing that falling and hurting yourself is still a very real possibility. (Now as to why someone would constantly subject themselves to this level of uncertainty paired with the high likelihood of injury, I have no earthly idea. But hey, to each their own right?)

As she continued to explain, she made it pretty clear that you can't half-ass skateboarding. From what I gathered, it sounds like you either try and fall or try and succeed...but a hesitant, fearful attempt is rarely successful and puts you at an even higher risk of getting hurt. In essence, it sounds like the fear of failure is often worse than the actual failure itself. 

Looking at my own life, it's clear to me that I've been most successful when I fully commit to what I'm doing, even when I know there's a possibility of failure. I've found that time and time again, my fear of failure was more damaging than the failure ever was. 

With this in mind, we have every reason to pursue our goals, passions, and ambitions relentlessly and fearlessly. Will we fall? Maybe. Is there a possibility of getting hurt? Probably. But I don't think we give ourselves enough credit for our resiliency or our ability to persevere.

The possibility of failing, falling, or f*cking up doesn't seem as scary once you acknowledge your own innate ability to bounce back and recover. 

This week's quote comes from book The Alchemist (great read, highly recommend):

“Tell your heart that the fear of suffering is worse than the suffering itself.” 
- Paulo Coelho

Reflection question: What haven't you fully committed to out of fear of failure or getting hurt?