Since starting derby, I get to hear often "if you aren't falling, you aren't learning."

I don't want to fall though. I hate it. It hurts. Not to mention the first bad fall I had where I jammed my finger and busted my tailbone or the other time I literally super manned it across the track on my chest. OUCH! 

Guess what? No one wants to fall. I have yet to meet a person who's goal is to fall all the time. 

AND we all love to talk about our successes so we often forget that those successful people around us - probably fell a lot. They just didn't turn it into their facebook post or instagram photo.

The more I fall, the better I get.

I learn how to do it without bruising my tailbone (fall on one cheek not two). I learn how to get back up more quickly and have strengthened those muscles that help me rebound. It truly is making me stronger. 

Don't get me wrong. I still feel terrified. BUT I miss opportunities to learn something new every time I don't take a risk or push my boundaries just a little bit.

It's part of the process.

Building your private practice involves falling. There are things you will try that don't work. The first time it can be a big blow to the ego. It can feel like your whole world is crashing in.  You might find yourself curled up in bed with a bottle of wine, dark chocolate and binging on netflix (not that I would know anything about that). Sooner or later you start to learn that it is part of the process and you get back up, dust yourself off and carry on. 

Be of master of failure.

The more you fall the better you get at getting back up. The easier it is to look back and learn from what caused it so you can improve in those areas. Resisting the fall - can cause you more harm than good. For example, when we started ZynnyMe we sold this really amazing online course that was super cheap and it didn't sell. Now at some point we had to say - this isn't working, what is going on here? We could have resisted and kept trying to sell something that we had created. We chose to learn and we took some time off from courses, did more coaching and then bootcamp was born! And we have sold almost 400 bootcamps - so it is going well. But we would have never made it to bootcamp like we did if we kept holding onto what wasn't working.

Let the stuff that doesn't work fall to the wayside, it will create room for better solutions.

Reducing risk still matters.

The first thing I learned to do before skating was how to fall and I don't get on the track without pads. Safety is important. Does that mean I am setting myself up for failure? No! I'm being smart and reducing the risk as much as I can while still having fun and putting myself out there. Here's some quick tips:

1. Have someone that holds you accountable in your life. We need a tribe or a friend who is going to be honest and will hold up the mirror to remind us of who we are and what we are capable of. A bit of advice can steer you from a head on collision in your practice. Don't let your ego get so big you ignore feedback. 

2. Get some financial back up. When you have savings and money in the bank, you know how much risk you can take. You want to try a facebook ad? As long as you have a budget and you are ok with that risk - then go for it! Want to join a mastermind? Plan for it is so helpful. Yes there are times where I bootstrapped things and created stuff for my business, but I had some cash to cover at least expenses. 

3. Find your team. You need other experts that know more about aspects of your business than you. Accountants, tax attorneys, clinical supervisors (to hone those talents of yours aka your product) - consulting these people will reduce your risk and help you make better informed choices in your practice. 

Make it fun.

And when you fall - have fun with it. Make it glorious - laugh, cry, and get back up because there is more of that to come. I guarantee you - every fall will bring a lesson. Don't simply get back up and pretend like nothing happened. Learn from all of it and share what you learned because that is what is going to make us a better community. 

How do you handle failure? Share below!

PS I'll try to keep the roller derby analogies to a minimum - I can't help myself lately!