I felt exhilarated. The balance beam was not that high after all! It had taken a lot of gumption for me to climb up. Then I fell on my head. The inevitable laughter of the 8th grade PE class intensified the burn in my face. I felt mortified and very unathletic.

Who knew? For much of my young life I was told I was clumsy, and for awhile, I believed it. Until I changed my mind. In high school I was on the drill team and I loved it. I am a visual and kinesthetic learner. The dance sequences were easy for me to remember and execute. I discovered my strengths.

Fast forward 47 years. Now, I am a vinyasa yoga instructor. I still come up against my edges when I balance. I am currently refining Bakasana (Crow) pose. Some days I hold it. Some days I hold it and fall. Some days I simply fall. Here’s the thing: If you try new things you WILL fail sometimes. That’s the truth. But the flip side of that bitter lesson is that you learn how to do the thing very well. The writer Victoria Erickson says, “Consistency is an underappreciated form of intentional magic disguised as mundane doing.”

My current bakasana is not my final one. Yet, I can teach all my students to approach bakasana. Why? Because I learned 500 ways NOT to do bakasana through my practice. So please, don’t let failing stop you from trying. That goes for on and off the mat. You have talents that are waiting to be revealed. Live your biggest, boldest life.