“If you shut the door to all errors, truth will be shut out.” Rabindranath Tagore

One year I picked up a lapel pin while skiing in Whistler, British Columbia.  It had a cute saying written on it with a message that was designed to encourage you to ski boldly.  The implication was that you’d learn a lot quicker by skiing more aggressively. It said, “No Falls, No Balls.”  In other words, if you are too cautious then you might never take a spill on the slopes but you’ll also not truly test yourself.  The hidden message, and true meaning, was you’ll never get better if you don’t push yourself.  It’s a good life lesson.

Tagore’s quote at the beginning of this piece is saying much the same thing.  He is claiming the path to truth is found by a kind of trial and error process.  You must be willing to make mistakes if you want to find answers.  Thomas Edison obviously was a person not afraid to experiment and make errors.  He once joked, “Results!  Why, man, I have gotten lots of results.  I know several things that don’t work.”

My advice is keep trying at whatever endeavor captivates you. And don’t be afraid to make mistakes because it is through mistakes that we find answers.  Just keep on persevering towards your goals – shoot for the stars, and you’ll reach the moon.  Above all, never feel embarrassed on your journey.  As Deepak Chopra said, “When you have a vision to guide you, rising and falling seem to matter less.”  Go for broke, fall a little and, as Joseph Campbell once put it, follow your bliss!