the Practical Skateboarder

I sat watching and filming a friend who was trying a trick down a six-stair handrail. Attempt after attempt, it didn’t seem like he was getting the hang of it. Occasionally, he would get lucky and stick the trick. This fueled his drive to try again. But after another 45 minutes or so of getting worn down try after try, he seemed like he might be burning out and ready to quit.

I asked, “Do you want to do this once or are you committed to learning how to do this trick?”

It was a seemingly simple question. If he meant to do it only once, then he should keep going–make it or break it–and then be done with it. But, if he meant to learn the trick so that he could do it again and get better at it, then I thought he should consider calling it quits for the day, learning from the failures, and come back fresh next time to try again.

He decided it was a one time thing, kept going, and, fortunately, made the trick.

But, for each of us in the moments of our lives, we have to decide this for ourselves. Once, or first?

If you decide this is merely your first attempt–your first sales call, first business, first time baking a dessert or cooking a meal, etc.–then it’s probably worth it to stop before you break and don’t take the outcome personally. Learn, rest, and try again tomorrow. It’s a marathon, so don’t burn out.

However, if you decide this a one-time thing, then you must also ask, “how much do I care about the outcome?” If you can’t walk away from a loss, then it might not be worth doing it even once. But if you’re in it for the experience, despite the outcome, then it could be something great. You may even decide to try it again.