Embarrassment and fear of falling!

Embarrassment and fear of falling is what keeps the majority of us from trying something new and rising to new heights. And this embarrassment, which hinders our success, is something we develop later on in life. Okay, don’t roll your eyes. Hear me out.

All of us have seen babies trying to walk. They first start trying to crawl. It looks like they are just dancing with their butt in the beginning. Then they crawl a few steps and stop to recover because that’s like the toughest thing the baby has ever done. But within a few days you see them crawl like they are professional crawlers.

And these babies, as they begin to walk, they fall SO. DAMN. MUCH. Like every 3 steps they land on their bum, their knees, and sometimes even their heads. But here’s the thing, they get up and try again. We all tried again as babies and now, as adults, the able bodied among us walk like we breathe. It comes naturally to us.

If a baby fell down while walking one day and started thinking “OMG everyone saw me fall. Even my baby crush and her mother. What will they think of me now. I better hide and sit quietly and give up on walking.” Here’s a true story: My brother, when he was less than a year old, crawled out of our open door on our first floor and fell tumbling down the stairs. My mother says it’s a miracle he survived that without any major issues (All brothers have minor issues). Now if he’d stopped crawling after that incredible fall. He’d still be sitting in one spot, unable to walk.

Just like that anything else in life that you want to win/achieve, needs a lot of practise and a really thick skin. Like babies. You will stumble, you will embarrass yourself, you will witness the equivalent of falling on your butt in public. And yes, some people will laugh. But they are not losing or gaining anything with your success/failure, and vice versa, so why even bother about what they think? You keep doing what you want to master- study, write, sing, speak, paint, make are-and one day it will come as naturally to you as the air in your lungs. And that’s worth all the pain.