In Beyond the Summit Todd Skinner states, “To cross difficult terrain, you often have to make the wrong choice to discover the right choice. So it isn’t the fall that’s important, it’s what you do after the fall.” Many people I have come across equate falling to failing. The fear of messing up or not making correct moves inhibits movement forward towards a goal or limits creativity.

I heard a phrase a while ago that has become a mantra for me: “Fail Fast”. In addition, learn quick. In my mind there is no failing, there is only learning. If you are trying a new thing in unchartered territories for yourself, the fastest way to get to a goal is to make mistakes, collect valuable lessons learned and move on. You are not failing, you are learning in this process. Since you don’t know what is upcoming or have ever experienced it, you have to gather information. And when you commit, commit fully. Because as Todd Skinner says, “because the correct answer applied tentatively could fail, giving you wrong data on the right sequence.”

For some, this may take some rewiring, but I believe this concept offers your refinement towards excellence and winning. Look at the behaviors of successful people around you. Their attitude towards the new, the unknown, is one of learning and failing forward. This is pivotal, lest we stop growing and stop learning. The goal is not to fall or fail, but to find answers so we can succeed.

Had you ever noticed that if you set things up a certain way you are more apt to do them? We are creatures of inertia. By this I mean that it is easier for us to stay in motion or do the lowest resistance activity in the area or space we are engaged in. If we are sleeping we like to sleep. If we are working we like to work. Perhaps it’s “groove” or being “in the zone”.

If you want to be strategic about how you move, do an out of body exercise for a day and watch how you move. Do you notice that you do things easier that are within reach? Do you find you seem to not be able to get to the next step on a project because of inertia?

Why not use your nature to your advantage. Align with it and manipulate your spaces so you’ll do the next action naturally. Your movement will take you there. Put a book by your bed so you will read. Have your tools laid out so you can work. Place your ironing near the ironing board so you can get started. Whatever it may be, you can structure it so your function follows your form.