FALLING AND FAILING BY ARON ROSING

I have a fear of falling.  Whether that be falling up the steps of Farmer in front of a group of people and cementing my status as a total klutz, or falling off a cliff while hiking in the Malibu Hills and seeing my life flash before my eyes.  Both of these events have happened, but here I am, still climbing up the steps of Farmer every single day from the basement to the second floor.  And this summer I will be returning to that fateful trail in Southern California.  

The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result.  To me, creativity is a lot like insanity. The difference is, when you are practicing creativity, each time you fail, you learn, and you adjust.  When you’re insane, you simply assume that practice makes perfect and you will succeed eventually without any adjustments whatsoever.  

Falling is, in many people’s minds, a perfect example of failing.  What often doesn’t come to mind is that each time you fall, a lesson can be learned to improve your footing going forward.  For instance, maybe don’t wear traction-less shoes on a wet day and expect not to slip on the shiny marble floors of the Farmer Palace of Business. Or maybe just because you’re wearing a suit made out of velcro, don’t just assume you won’t come unstuck from a velcro wall without any warning.