This week I had the pleasure of seeing Olympic Figure Skating Gold Medalist Scott Hamilton speak at the National Cancer Survivor Celebration Day held at Manchester Memorial Hospital. Scott has survived both testicular cancer and a brain tumor….and is still skating strong through life.
Scott is an outstanding keynote speaker and author of the book The Great Eight: How to be Happy (even when you have every reason to be miserable).
During his talk, Scott shared with us with many gems and jewels to think about, including his life motto “The only disability in life is a bad attitude.” How true is that!
If ever there was a poster child for how to get up once you have fallen down, it would be Scott Hamilton. As a self-proclaimed “serial optimist,” Scott has had his fair share of falling down, both on and off the ice.
Scott has won over 70 titles and has been inducted into both the Olympic Hall of Fame and the World Figure Skating Hall of Fame. Despite numerous set backs, he is a world-class winner!
Early on in his skating career, an instructor told him how to get up once you have fallen on the ice. It is simple:
Turn over on your hands and knees. Take one foot and place it between your hands. Then take the other foot and place it between your hands. Use your toe picks to stop your feet from sliding by applying pressure to your toes. Now, push yourself up and you should be standing on the ice. Continue skating!
Watch one of my favorite videos of Scott Hamilton skating to Double Bogey Blues, a golf parody:
Once Scott learned the mechanics for getting up, he was no longer afraid of falling down. In fact, there is no way of being successful in a figure skating career without falling down. In 1981 in Hartford, Connecticut Scott won the World Championships even though he fell during his performance. He looked at the judges, smiled, got back up and finished his routine. And he won!
You too can win in your business, career and life if you learn to fall and get up with confidence and conviction. Fall and get up; fall and get up; fall and get up… and just keep going just like Scott Hamilton!
Your networking GOAL for this week
Learn to embrace failure as a stepping stone towards your success. If you’ve recently been fired, laid off, divorced, disappointed someone, failed a class, lost the deal, didn’t get that job, fallen on your ass, got caught, whatever, it’s time to dust yourself off and start again.
Do what you must to learn from that lesson – apologize, endure the consequence, reflect, journal, celebrate, laugh, make the necessary changes, brush it off, but get up and move on.
You will never be a champion at your craft unless you overcome your fear of falling and failing and have the determination to proceed toward your goals and dreams. When you fall down, you must get up. You must get motivated and go forward.
