It’s rare to hit a homerun the very first time at bat. But even if we strike out, this doesn’t mean we give up and quit. We must keep showing up and trying again to achieve the success we desire.
Of course, we love the thought of tackling life’s challenges with a certain amount of ease and perfection – once and done and not something we have to keep revisiting.
But learning the dance of life and relationships rarely works this way.
When we show up to try something new we must humbly embrace the awkwardness, clumsiness, and many mistakes we’re prone to make along the way.
There’s nothing smooth or pretty about it. But this is simply how we learn and grow. And we can’t skip over it regardless of how frustrating and embarrassing it might be.
For example, we might know there are important conversations we need to have with our wife or kids. And our first attempts might not go well.
Things might get heated or leave us feeling more confused and distant after stirring things up.
It’s tempting then to just give up. Perhaps it’s not worth it if things are this difficult. And certainly it’s much easier to just let things be.
But we sell ourselves short and neglect our responsibilities when we don’t keep trying.
Of course, trying again doesn’t mean we keep doing the exact same thing expecting a different result. We consistently review what went well and what didn’t and adjust accordingly.
And in time we find our groove, our sweet spot, or, at the very least, continue to improve in the efforts made.
Trying again is not always fun. But when it matters, it’s worth it.
In the end, it remains true: If at first you don’t succeed, try, try and try again.
Photo by rigo erives on Unsplash
