Mistakes and Opportunities — May, 2004

Disclaimer: The following thought ignores the possibility, and subsequent details, of reincarnation. This exclusion is recognized and intentional on the part of the author.

This life is a first time around for each of us. No day is an audition. There are no dressed rehearsals. When the curtains open every morning, it’s show time. The ‘ON-AIR’ light shines brightly and its bulb never burns out.

I point this out so I can address two of life’s stickier fly strips: mistakes and opportunities.

We all make mistakes, daily. Yes, some mistakes should never be made. Turning a Super-Soaker into a flamethrower comes to mind. Early in life, we should be protected from these mistakes. And, as we age, prudence, decency, and common sense should guide us. Over time, however, we are bound to miss a cue, forget a line, or mishandle a prop. Occasionally, we’ll ruin the audience’s experience. And, perhaps once, we’ll end the production.

But, if you never step upon the stage, no audience will ever applaud. This I guarantee.

So, forgive yourself frequently. Acknowledge your mistakes. Take ownership of them and distribute freely the lessons. We won’t always get it right the first time. And, life is both one big first time and many smaller first times simultaneously.

You may ask: Do many small first-time successes create that one, big first-time success? If so, how are we graded? What is the standard? Is there a curve?

I don’t have the first synaptic seedling of an idea. You could fertilize and tend the curvy rows of my cerebral garden until the proverbial cows came home, and I still wouldn’t know.

But, I’m banking on the friendly law of averages. And, if my earlier statement about prudence, decency, and common sense holds any water, the law of averages will smile upon us more frequently the longer we live and the more often we perform.

So, you must embrace each time the curtains part. Take the stage. Seize the mic. Step into the spotlight.

Louis Pasteur said, “Chance favors the prepared mind.”

The prepared mind, in my mind, is the mind unencumbered with needless guilt, open to new ideas, and enriched with life’s lessons.

Paul Simon Sings:

A man walks down the street
It's a street in a strange world
Maybe it's the Third World
Maybe it's his first time around
He doesn't speak the language
He holds no currency
He is a foreign man
He is surrounded by the sound
The sound
Cattle in the marketplace
Scatterlings and orphanages
He looks around, around
He sees angels in the architecture
Spinning in infinity
He says Amen! and Hallelujah!

Well, the disclaimer addresses the uncertainty surrounding it being this man’s first time around. So, I’ll leave that alone. But consider, if you will, the fear and hesitance likely associated with being in this man’s shoes: alone, broke, isolated from communication, and surrounded by a disorienting auditory and visual cacophony. He does not sink into the shadows, however. No, he steps center stage and in a language known only to him shouts, “Amen! Hallelujah!”

This is a prepared mind. And with a prepared mind, opportunity is easier to embrace. The opportunities that fall into our laps, the opportunities we create for ourselves, and the things we don’t initially recognize as opportunities become less daunting to those who are willing to fail.

Thus, we feed the friendly law of averages when we intelligently prepare for the possibility of failure, forgive ourselves, and try again. Sometimes there are boos and sometimes there are standing ovations.

I’ve suffered broken bicycles, broken bones, a broken heart, bad credit, and even an incorrectly assembled parachute. But, I’ve also stood atop mountains, helped liberate an oppressed people, watched the sun set over the earth as it burned, and shared the joy of love. I smile in spite of my scars.

So, don’t dwell on your mistakes and don’t fear opportunity. And if you occasionally feel the need to pay a penance for your stumbles upon the stage – as we all sometimes should – pay your dues, seek forgiveness, perform community service, or sit through a Jennifer Lopez movie. A little sacrifice can help reset the self-vilifying mind.

The point is to keep a movin’. We often let opportunity pass us by because we’d like everything to be ‘just right’. Folks, nothing is ever ‘just right’. Make things as right as possible and wing the rest. The show must go on. Scream, “Amen! Hallelujah!” (Or, insert your declaration of choice – mine is “YeeeeeHaaaaaa!”)

I’ll point out that there’s getting and there’s taking. Getting is passive. Taking is active. And, it’s the losers that are always ‘getting taken’. Take what you want from life.

At bedtime in the U.S., we encourage one another to ‘have sweet dreams’. The French – notwithstanding their shortcomings – have a better idiom. Their saying is something akin to ‘make sweet dreams’. And remember, Louis Pasteur was French, too.

So, those mistakes and opportunities can be sticky fly strips. Beat those wings hard.

Run not to escape your fears, but rather, to chase your dreams.

Lights, camera, action!!!

~ topher

A note on audiences: We all have many audiences. Our friends, family, lovers, employers, and coworkers all represent audiences in our lives. Please don’t forget, however, the most important audience of all – yourself.