Do you remember how you learned to walk when you were a toddler? I believe no one could ever remember how one learned to walk when one was a toddler. I couldn’t recall anything even if I tried to think hard. According to an article in American Baby Magazine, February 2000, p.36 entitled Total Recall, a baby’s long term memory can be for as long as twenty-four hours at six weeks old and up to four months time at sixteen months old. Perhaps that explained why I couldn’t remember anything which happened before the age of 4. Anything before appeared like a piece of blank paper – the details, which could only be filled by the memories of my loved ones who have watched me grow.
The inability to remember how one learned to walk could be the key reason why we would give up so readily when we faced with challenges in life sometimes. Should we remember the time when we were learning to walk, we would not be so ready to give up without a fight.
If you would allow me, please travelled back in time with me to about one year ago when my twin nephews were learning to walk. Even before they learned to walk, they have to learn to fall on their bums while making the effort to stand up; most of the time they fell when they tried to stand up. Sometimes they cried when they fell. The other times they giggled and laughed at themselves. At times, it took them a while to try to stand up again. However, it was never long before they would give it another shot at standing up.
There were times when we were around to catch them when they fell, to cheer them on and there were also times when they picked themselves up silently, without us watching. My point is, the numerous falls did not stop them from wanting to try again. Did they hurt when they fell? I have no idea how much it might hurt them. But their determination to try again shortly after they fell was what I observed.
Have you ever wonder, “If everyone has been through this stage, shouldn’t we have this same determination to rise up every time we fall too?” I believe we would have this determination – when we remember how we had once stood up every time we fell.
Of course it was not the end after learning to stand. They enthusiastically tried to take the first step. Did the first step end well? Just like everyone else, they fell down again on their first step. Did they try again? I think all is history now.
One may say, “they had all the encouragement and cheering when they were taking those steps.” I do not deny the fact that we were giving them a lot of encouragement and cheering along the way. However, they had to be the one who wanted to keep on trying even after endless falls. They weren’t too bothered by people laughing or teasing them or no one supporting them; they even learned to laugh at themselves. And I do believe that they never once doubted if they would ever learn to walk. They just kept on trying, trying, and trying. And eventually they learned to walk. Next? Running.
So, the next time when you are facing some challenges, do try to remember how you had once overcome all odds and learned to walk. As the saying goes, “Our greatest glory is not in never failing but in rising up every time we fail.”
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Photo credit: Paras Seth
