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Failing and falling

I can still remember vividly running out onto the gravel pitch at St Ninian’s primary school in my hometown for the football trials when I was in P7 (Year 6 if you’re English).

Much hope I had for no good reason.

I never made the team.

I failed.

No more football for me.

Fast forward some years later and there were  3 minutes to go in the Scottish cup final at basketball at the end of U14 Scottish cup final in Perth.

I was the captain of our team and we were 2 points up with 3 minutes left.

I put my hand in as another player came into the key and was called for a foul. I was fouled out and off the court and we lost by 2 points. 

In the changing rooms after that game my coach came up to me and said, “you can carry this by the dirty strips since you don’t have the Scottish cup”.

3^rd again.

Less than a year later I missed a 3-point shot right on the buzzer to tie my first international with Ireland. Failed again. 

Towards the end of my secondary school career I was called to the office for what I knew was my invitation to become the Head Boy of my school.

Already in the head office was one of my best friends who had already been given  that title and I was to be his deputy.

Failed again.

During that time I failed my math’s higher exam, despite being tutored by a family friend.

Failed again.

Fast forward to University in the prosthetics lab, I failed my partial denture practical.

Failed again.

It keeps happening.

Over and over and over again.

It is easy to look back and talk about those ones, it is harder to talk about the ones that happened today, or yesterday, or even 6 months ago.

I could tell you about the time that I forced my young daughter into the shower to wash her hair because she didn’t like getting her head wet.

It took me years to get over that one!

I failed as a Husband and I failed as a Father, I failed as a Dentist. 

I fail and I fall regularly and so far, I have picked myself  up and dusted myself off.

As Michael Jordan said in that video that I’m sure I posted in a blog some time ago.

“I fail so I may succeed”.

Blog Post Number - 2212

By Colin Campbell on 10/12/19 18:00