Is it a fall...or a fumble?

If only life came with training wheels! The skill of riding a bicycle is one that once mastered, is never forgotten. There is a sense of confidence that comes with maintaining that balance. I can clearly recall those first precarious pedals after the wheels came off; struggling to keep my balance....and then success! Did I have moments when I fell? Of course, but you get back up (hoping no one saw you) and continue on. What happens when we stumble in our plans - do we walk away and leave it in a heap on the floor or do we get back up? Most times, it is the former.

My favorite author is David Baldacci. From Absolute Power to his most recent novel, The 6:20 Man, I have read every book. This clearly FanGirl moment occurred last month at a book signing at our local library. He doesn't sit down and write a novel without going through several drafts, suggestions, rewrites, corrections, moments of writers block.....Even writing this little blog, I go through drafts, revisions, etc. It is part of the process. My readership is not New York Times Bestseller level, heck I get excited if I increase by audience by five! But this is something I want to continue to do, so each time I write, I look at the numbers - the blogs that seem to attract more readers - those are the topics I need to stick with. It is the same with any goal that we want to achieve - redirection....or pivoting is a requirement!

I always say there is a FRIENDS or Seinfeld episode for every moment in life. In this iconic scene, Ross is attempting to get his couch up the stairs. PIVOT! He screams to no success. But the image is powerful once you remove the comedic side. If you are attempting to ascend this staircase and you don't "pivot" you'll walk into the wall. It's what happens when we are working on our goals - we walk into a wall and need to pivot; or we can be like Ross and give up by sawing the couch in half. These pivots are really just re-adjusting our thought process. Go back, measure and try again. Why they didn't just put the couch on the end and pivot that way is beyond me, but then we wouldn't have these hilarious memes!

Too often, people confuse pivoting with failing. But it's not failure...it's part of the process. When my son moved up from middle school, the principal spoke to the class and he said (and I'm paraphrasing here) FAIL was actually a First Attempt In Learning. That has stuck with me over the years. It's true, if we view those moments as learning opportunities, as steps along the way to our end goal, we can truly be more successful in obtaining our end result. Fitness, is an area that most people will quit. Let's face it, it is hard work! There are many many pivots along the way. This photo is one that I look at repeatedly. The left reminds me of where I started. Sometimes wondering if it is worth it. The right reflects my reward - healthy! It is what I hope to inspire in others - that knowledge that you can obtain your goal - by taking it one step at a time! Not looking at the entire staircase and being overwhelmed; but rather starting at the bottom and approaching each step as a moment of success. David Baldacci didn't start out saying 'I have to write x number of bestsellers'; he started with one. You can too! It's time to get on the bike, with or without training wheels, and live like....