Go!

No! Wait! Okay, yes. No! Wait! Okay now! Now I’m ready! No! Yes! No! Wait! No! I’m not ready! Okay now I’m ready! No! Wait! Hang on a sec! Okay! Yes! Now! No! NOW!!! YES!
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Go! Go! Go!
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YEEEEEEEEEEEEEHHAAAA!!!!!!!!
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Right now I’m think about my son, Jonathan, standing with his skateboard, on top of a 14′ halfpipe, deciding wether or not to “drop in” and risk cracking his skull open. This was several years ago. Back then he was probably only 12 or 13 years old, but had already broken enough bones to understand the possible outcome of his actions…
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What I didn’t understand at the time, what really confused the hell out of me, was why this particular ramp suddenly appeared to be so much scarier to him than any of the other bowls, pipes or ramps he had previously conquered.
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To me, it certainly appeared a lot less risky than some of the other crazy stuff I had seen him do. But then again, I wasn’t the one putting myself on the line. I was just standing there watching safely from the ground, while Jonathan was up there alone on the edge, quietly assessing the challenge, before finally deciding “not today.”
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Man. I can remember how disappointed I felt when he decided to turn away. How I had unfairly judged him. How wrong it had been for me to show anything but admiration, for anyone with enough confidence in himself to even consider such a feat.
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When Jon was even younger, I can remember how proud of him I had been for all that he had accomplished on a skateboard. How fearless he had been. How determined he was. Tackling one obstacle after another with pure and bloody determination. The boy constantly raised the bar. Always pushing himself to higher and higher heights.
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So it was very confusing to me that I could suddenly feel damn near ashamed when he wouldn’t tackle the half-pipe as well.
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And of course I should have been ashamed. I should have been ashamed of myself for even thinking that this talented young athlete’s skill, determination, courage, his immeasureable perseverence, his relentless pursuit of excellence… had all been somehow lessened by one obviously personal, and undoubtedly wise decision, to walk away from one particular dragon, on one particular afternoon. A dragon that I myself would never have stood a chance against. Me? On a skateboard? Dropping in completely vertical from a ledge that’s higher than a house? Forget it!
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It’s so easy to judge the fears of other people. It’s much harder to accept our own fears and failures. As a father, my failures and mistakes have been too numerous to mention. I have tried and failed at so many different things some might say it’s a wonder I have any ambition left. Maybe you have often failed, too. Failed to follow through. Failed to make the grade. Failed to perform. Failed to earn the money. Failed to face a challenge, keep your word, or achieve some elusive goal…
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Have you ever heard of Babe Ruth? He was a guy who once held the world record for hitting the most home runs in baseball. What most people don’t realize, is that he also held the record for being struck out. In other words, he failed to hit the ball far more often than he succeeded. And yet his accomplishments endured.
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I have also heard that in Silicon Valley, the home of many self-made millionaires and dot com executives, it is said they won’t even look at your resume unless you have declared bankruptcy a couple of times. Whether that’s true or not, the point is, in order to succeed, you’ve gotta be willing to fail. You’ve got to be willing to learn from your mistakes, and get up and try again. And again. And again.
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And again and again and again and again…
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You’ve gotta try UNTIL you get the results you want. No matter how often, and no matter how hard you fall.
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Ask any skateboarder. Ask any millionaire.
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MH
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