When Life Tips You Over

This past weekend, while at camp with my girl friend and the kids, I knew it was time...

My oldest, Bear (10) has been out fishing on his own in my little 12 foot boat many times, but I haven't put the boat in the water yet so we've been using a canoe instead.

And he's been asking to go alone...

But I kept telling him, not yet.

Of course, he didn't understand why at first. He's a great swimmer, a strong kid, has excellent balance, no fear, and pays attention (most times!)

But again, I told him no, not until we go tip the canoe.

"Why do we need to go tip the canoe?" he asked.

"Because that's how you'll learn not to panic when you go over, what to do when it happens, and how to get back in properly"

Intrigued, and excited, we loaded up and headed out for the middle of the lake.

The first step to learning to use a canoe properly is knowing how to fall.

How you FALL out of a canoe is vital.

Just like in life, falling is going to happen, and how you fall, and how you land, makes all the difference.

Do you know what to do when falling out of a canoe?

You just do it.

When you catch yourself losing your balance, and you feel like yep, I'm going over...

You don't fight it, you don't try and stop it, and you sure as heck don't try and grab the boat to save yourself.

What happens if you do?

Then everyone, gear and all, goes over with you.

So, if you ever find yourself in a canoe, and you lose your balance, there's no need to take the team and all your items with you to the bottom, just drop what you're holding, and let your body plop out, ideally without even touching the sides.

This is harder than it sounds. It's sort of like the way you get out of a speed wobble on a motorbike - you go FASTER, not slower.

Once I'm confident he can just fall out, it's time to get to the next step - understanding how the boat moves.

Although tippy, a canoe is actually quite stable.

And your ability to be OKAY with the boats movements is vital to keeping your balance, and avoiding unnecessary panic.

I can confidently say that one of the keys to my coaching, is arming my clients with the confidence to be able to expect, prepare for, and navigate life's "tippy moments" without falling overboard.

Of course, it's a bit more challenging in life, but with the canoe, it's simple, stand up (that's my preference!), get into a wide stance, and start rocking the boat side to side.

Within a few seconds, you'll get the feel for it, and you'll realize you can actually take the canoe's edge right to the very waters surface, a mere inch from going under, without it tipping.

Man, I can fill a library with stories about the times in life I took things right to the very edge of disaster, but managed to keep on trucking... or canoeing...

Once you've got that down pat, you need to learn to fail.

Failing is part of life. And if you aren't failing, you're probably not doing much at all.

So, we rock the canoe until the edge goes under, and water rushes in. The next lesson... once water is in the boat, bail, assess the situation, refocus, and plan your next moves.

Often, I see people experience some type of, well, failure in life, and they try and keep pushing through it..

In business, that's called sending good money after bad money.

Avoid the urge.

Cut your loses, and start over.

Now, I know to many this seems odd, I mean, don't I teach perseverance?

Well, yes, and no. Sometimes, the path you're on just isn't the right path. The goal may be the same, but the path isn't working.

As Sir Richard Branson says, you need to "regroup, and attack from a different direction"

So, having the canoe, that's now filling with water, is a futile effort.

Bail out, and start fresh.

The next step is learning to get back into the canoe after it's tipped, is full of water, and you're bobbing in the water next to it.

And for those wondering, yes, if your canoe is in good working order, it will 100% float, even full of water.

At this stage, you can't just get back in. Listen, if your life is falling apart, you can't just step right back into it and expect a different result.

You need to clear the calculator before you can start working on a new problem.

You need to drain the old oil in your car before you put fresh stuff in.

You need to wash your mug before making a new coffee.

Back to the canoe... Here's where having the right tools goes a long way.

You're SUPPOSED to have a bail bucket in your canoe.

This is like a life coach for your boat.

It's there to assist you in getting back on your feet.

So get beside your canoe, and start bailing out the water, one cup at a time.

This is easier if you have two people, one at each side of the boat keeping it balanced in the water while you bail it. (remember, we're not in the boat yet, we're still in the water!)

Now, if you're alone, and don't have a cup, you can tug that canoe full of water to shore, it'll take a while, and then tip it over from shore, but it'll also weigh a TON!

And, without that "coach" a.k.a. bucket to help, you can also use your hands to splash the water out...

But let's get real...

You'll just look like a toddler at a water park splashing in the shallow end...

Once the water is out, it's quite simple, you balance the boat, and get in.

If you're in the middle of the lake still, and have a friend, you each pick a side, act as the others counter balance while they climb in, and it's a piece of cake.

If you're alone, a little tougher, but the same basic principle.

Now I know this is getting a bit long...

But here's my basic message...

Your canoe is going to tip.

I don't know of a single person who ever got anywhere worth going, who didn't tip along the way.

But once you know how to handle it, how to see it coming, how to manage the fall, and how to get back on your feet, you'll realize, failure isn't that scary.

And most times, a dip in the water is exactly the refreshing restart you needed.

So I challenge you right now, get a coach, get a friend, get a canoe, and start failing forward.

I believe in you,

Al

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