Horsing Around.

It is with some humour that I recall an incident from my past. When I was in my last year at school, it was time for the final set of exams and I thought my score was going to be pretty good. Often great plans can go awry and in this case it was no exception.

Preparation was uppermost in my mind as I viewed the box and springboard waiting for me. The queue of my classmates was behind me and I knew exactly what to do. I imagined myself charging towards the box and executing a perfect star position, lifting myself beautifully into the air as I cleared the box. The PT exam was the last of my exams so a good score would have helped no end.

One after another, my fellow classmates performed with ease and successfully completed the challenge of clearing the box, and then it was my turn. The box had a padded top with a lip around it. This important detail was not in my mind as I charged towards it. With a great bound like a rocket, I took off, only to catch my toes under the lip and land head first into the mat on the other side. Embarrassed, I was amazed that the teacher had given me any score at all. I asked him why he had given me that score, only to receive the reply of the following words. He told me simply, you got over the box.

After that somewhat challenging and significant moment, I reflected and possibly a more philosophical thought could be, that it is better to attempt a project even if it is not perfect. It was not what I had envisaged or planned for sure but I took from that early experience that it was ultimately better that I did something, than did nothing at all.

Even that low score helped with my overall marks. Failure is part of the progress necessary to achieve success. It is not always the happy times that shape the future. Not always the most according to plan achievements that teach the most.