Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall. —Confucius
Everyone fails. Everyone falls. Everyone loses. It happens—that’s life.
There is a saying in judo: the first thing you learn isn’t how to throw…it’s how to fall.
We can apply this concept as a way of life, learning to fail. Physically, it’s learning how to fail in a controlled, safe way. Psychologically, it’s overcoming the fear of failing. Mentally it’s building resilience.
Fall down seven, stand up eight
You can’t stand up if you never fall. Yet, many people avoid falling all together. They avoid taking risks. They stay in their comfort zone, not pushing their limits. They are always distracted by fear, never fully present.
Falling with intention
In Judo, beginners start off by falling softly. Then, falling more and more forcefully—preparing for an opponent who’s literally trying to break them.
How can we apply this principle to our life? Start by failing in controlled, low-stakes environments. The more reps we get in, the less we fear it, and the more we learn. Because in the end, life is not avoiding falls, it’s rolling with them.
Every fall is a step towards rising, stronger.
Nothing like watching your kids learn to walk to drive this home. The determination that sets in—and there’s a joy when they get a few wobbly steps, and they laugh when they fall too! Then that little face of grit when they rise again. You can watch it again when you see them learn to ride a bike
Thank you Taylor.