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Begin Again

Inspirational posters, clever quotes, goal setting, resolutions & short motivational books.  I’ve used them all in the pursuit of improvement.

Failure is often overlooked in the tool chest of productivity enhancements*.   Not the fear of failure as that is an entirely different thing.  Experiencing failure and the discovery of boundaries/limits is specifically what I am talking about.

Woody Allen talked about the correlation of not failing and risk taking.  There are management principles about failing fast to determine if something has value.   And these are useful concepts, but I think searching for failure is a misguided pursuit.

Some of my most memorable classes are when I try to do a technique and fail.   Honestly and sincerely fail.  It could be for any number of reasons, but the divide between what I thought I could do and what I was able to do is often unexpected and stings.

And as much as it hurts the ego to fail, it is a great motivator for me.  It is a good re-set to achieve the mind of a beginner. 初心 After all, who couldn’t use a little more openness and eagerness?

*Look up ‘surviorship bias’

O’Brien Sensei

www.warriorway.net

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