"Sometimes when you run too fast, you fall down..."

I said this to Calanit earlier today after she had fallen down while playing.

 

Then, I paused and realized that the same applies to me.  Honestly, it’s been a rough couple of weeks at work. Normally, I’m used to delivering “A” level work, but I’ve slipped up a bit. Not because I want to, of course, but because I was overwhelmed. I guess I consciously made some choices to focus on some other things. In the long run, it was the right call, to spend time with my family and enjoy the holidays, but in the short term, it’s not always pleasant.  It’s like professional athletes mired in the middle of a slump and it’s what the announcers seem to focus on, the batter who hasn’t hit in his last 30 at bats, the shooter who is 0 for 15 in the game.  

 

What’s worse is the catastrophic ruminations which then ensue as your mind spirals out of control and you ponder all of the unpleasant things that could happen as a result. Of course, none of them have happened and none of them are guaranteed to happen, but does that really matter?

 

Then, there is the side of the slump that requires admitting your defeat or failure. That’s not easy and I get the feeling that our culture doesn’t necessarily like failure or reward it, though it’s a critical component to future success. I don’t know if it’s true or not, but people don’t like to hear about your failures-maybe there’s nothing to say? Success-sure that’s easy to hear about.

 

I certainly don’t try to fail, but it’s important to remember that when I (we) do, that it’s not the end of everything you had hoped for and possibly even the beginning of something better.