Ruth Robb posted on June 03, 2010 13:09
On a more personal note
Half of the failures in life come from pulling one's horse when he is leaping.
~Thomas Hood
As motorcycle enthusiasts, my husband and I usually try to get out on our bikes at least once every week during the nice weather. We live near the centre of the city so making it out to the country always presents challenging traffic situations.
As a driver, you always know that an accident could happen anytime yet somehow you think it won’t happen to me today.
Last week that accident happened to me. One mistake is all it took. The above quote about sums up the mistake I made while driving my motor bike. I pulled my horse while it was leaping and didn’t get out of the way of an approaching car.
The car swiped up the side of my bike and sent it into a wobble. The next thing I remember, I felt like I was floating and I heard the bike revving up. It sounded like one of those high speed crashes you see on the TV show “Destroyed in Seconds”. I don’t remember hitting the ground at all; I was like a feather. I do remember thinking just let go of the bike and let it get as far away from you as possible. The whole mishap took only seconds to happen but is proving to take longer to get over the fear and sense of failure it created in that fateful moment.
I just wanted to say to everyone out there who is having a bad moment. From minute to minute, we can never be sure what life will bring. In my own experience I have found that circumstances can always be worse. I say, cherish the good out of each moment and live each and every day with intent and purpose. When bad stuff happens, fear of repeating failures is the hardest thing to get over. What I learned from this failure was that I can rely on my network of friends and family. They love me and accept me, and even if something is “my fault” forgiveness is readily available. They enable and encourage me to keep moving forward and not get stuck in that one moment of failure.
Having an accident is a pretty extreme event, but I believe the medicine for overcoming fear of failure is the same. It requires reaching out to others and most of all allowing ourselves to be human and make mistakes. It takes owning your part in the failure, facing your fear of a second failure, and taking actions to increase your chances of success in the future.
Until Next Time
Be Well
The Advisor