Failing Forward.
Yesterday, when I was out on my morning run, I went to cross the street. As I stepped off the curb, my foot caught the edge and sent me flying into the street.
Luckily, from all my klutziness as a child, I learned how to relax into a fall, so I didn’t hurt myself too badly. While on the ground, I took a moment to check in with my body to see if everything was okay. Once I realized I was fine, I stood up, checked for scrapes and bruises—there were a few—and continued on my way.
At one point during my run, a woman walking in the opposite direction said,
“Boy, you are fast.”
The unathletic child inside me was delighted because, as a kid, no one ever called me fast.
That’s when I realized something.
I failed forward.
Many times in my grief journey, I felt like I was taking two steps forward and three steps back.
But what if, in those moments, I was actually failing forward?
Because every time I “failed,” I still stood back up, brushed myself off, and kept moving.
Looking back, that’s exactly what was happening.
Those days when I didn’t feel like getting out of bed…
When I overate to stuff down my feelings (or didn’t eat at all - though that was never really my experience)…
When I zoned out to hours of television…
Those were the ways I was coping with my loss at the time.
Eventually, I began to discover more empowering ways to deal with those uncomfortable feelings and intrusive thoughts. Because of that, I now have gratitude for the lessons that came from failing forward.
Any amount of forward momentum gives you the acceleration to fail forward.
The only way to truly fall back is by standing still.
As long as you take some action, no matter how small, you are moving in a direction that can eventually point you forward.
Even when you turn around, you move from going backwards to forwards.
So I’ll leave you with this question:
Are you failing forward today?
If this message resonated with you, I’d love to hear from you.
👉 What is one small step you’re taking today to move forward?
Just hit the button below to reply.
And if someone you know needs this reminder today, feel free to pass it along.
Go with power,
Jason
Try this Simple Practice:
Simple Practice: The “One Step Forward” Practice
Take 60 seconds and ask yourself:
What is one small step I can take today that moves me forward?
Not a big leap.
Not a perfect plan.
Just one step.
Then do it.
It might be:
Getting out of bed and going for a short walk
Sending one message you’ve been avoiding
Drinking a glass of water
Writing down one thought you’re feeling
Asking someone for support
Small steps count.
Because every step creates momentum.
And momentum is how we fail forward.