One More Attempt

I am a firm believer in, "If at first you don't succeed, try try again." How else do we become proficient at something? We practice. Some people have to practice harder and longer than others since we all learn at different speeds. I watch my son practice his singing, and it seems to come so effortlessly to him, although he assures me that sometimes it is very difficult. My daughter can sit down to the piano and play the most beautiful song, yet it doesn't seem to sound right to her. I will tell her she just needs to practice more. She gives me that "look," and then she proceeds to try again. She will play it over and over until she gets it right, or is at least satisfied with her progress for that day.

What are the things that I do that require more than one attempt to get them right? Well, let's see, shall we? I practice my guitar...not as often as I would like to, or as often as I should, but when I work hard at it, the music comes back to me and fills me up like a warm day. I practice listening...trying hard not to speak till the other person is finished; trying hard not to jump to conclusions, trying hard to make sure that they are heard so that they are sure to hear me. I practice trust...this is a hard one. My trust is not easily earned, and if my trust is given and then betrayed, it rarely is offered again. I practice faith...taking God at his word; believing that He is all around me; believing that he will have a place for me when I leave this world...faith is one of the hardest things of all to learn. Not just in God, but in my family and friends as well. It is hard to have faith that they will always be there for me. It is hard to have faith that they will always love me. There are more, I'm sure...humility, generosity, and of course - love, that I need to practice daily, and will continue to for the rest of my life. How else will I grow as a person? A human being?

We teach our children to pick themselves up, dust themselves off, and start all over when things don't go right, don't we? We as parents should remember that as well. Children have it easy...their trust and faith in their parents comes easily when they are young...the listening leaves a lot to be desired though! We can learn much from the innocence of our kids. We must be the examples that they will model their lives after. We must show them that it is OK to be wrong, that it is OK to fail, as long as we learn from our mistakes and try again. There is always one more chance.

I will work every day to become a better listener, more trusting, and to grow in my faith. I will dance like no one is watching, love passionately, sing loudly, and embrace life. And when I screw up (which I will time and again), I will face those moments head-on, and I will try again.

If you are always willing to make one more attempt, you can reach whatever goal you choose. No matter what results you get, the only real failure is when you stop making the effort.
When you are mistaken, you can learn. When you are knocked down, you can get back up.
When you find that you've veered off track, you can correct your direction. When you discover that circumstances have changed, you can make adjustments accordingly.
Eventually, you'll reach the point at which the next attempt you make is the one that will complete the desired accomplishment. What a shame it would be to stop just one effort short of success.
For that next effort will make all the others pay off. Commit yourself to making one more effort, one more attempt, as often as necessary, and anything is within your reach.
Keep making that one more attempt, keep getting back up, and keep moving forward in the direction of your goal, one step after another. And you will surely get there.