“Don’t be embarrassed by your failures, learn from them and start again.” – Richard Branson

Belly Flop

On a bright, early morning walk along a rectangular-stone-lined stream there was one large distraction.  A belly flopping turtle.

I’m not sure if Harry Pupper heard and saw the belly flop before I did.  Perhaps my uncertainty is due to my head swiveling around so fast.  But, which of us was first doesn’t matter, because it was a first in another way.

It was the first time we had ever seen a common snapping turtle fall from a stone ledge, to complete a successful belly flop, into the flowing stream about three feet below.  It was a large turtle too; about fifteen inches in size.  So, there was a big splashing sound to match the look of astonishment on our faces.

Because our faces we glued to the scene we wanted to see the outcome, so Harry and I rushed over to see if the prehistoric looking, shell-bound creature needed assistance.  Once we reached the edge of the ledge we looked at the turtle bounce along the watery bottom for a skip or two before it righted itself to focus on starting its continual food-driven quest for aquatic animals and insects, sprinkled with light vegetation.  Even with its presumably humiliating flop, it simply started moving forward with its life again.

Harry soon lost interest because of the turtle’s immediate return to normality, even with the surrounding turbulence of the flowing water still buffeting it.  He focused on the sound of the trickling water and the smell of the adorning, stream and stone edged grass.  But, I heard an additional sound.

It was the distinctive voice of Sir Richard Branson, in my memory, saying, “Don’t be embarrassed by your failures, learn from them and start again.”

Some would say that common snapping turtles move slowly.  Yet, this one was a quick study of such advice.  This turtle’s “Guide to Completing a Successful Belly Flop” has now been etched upon my sometimes-hard-shelled head.

Don’t despair. Even when onlookers see you perform a belly flop, rather than the perfect swan dive you had planned, don’t drown in hopelessness.  Let the memory of their observation simply wash off your back. Then, take the few remaining bumps along the bottom and immediately begin to move forward as if nothing happened.

Still your embarrassment. Take a small moment to note the lessons you’ve learned from the failure, so you can allow its schooling to help create your envisioned future.

Finally.  Remember the benefits of resilience. Continued action, the act of resilience itself, is the key to being able to swim forward toward certain, awaiting bright-success.

On a bright, illuminating, early morning walk, along a rectangular-stone-lined stream there was one large distraction.  A belly flopping turtle.

I’m not sure if Harry Pupper heard and saw the belly flop before I did.  Perhaps my uncertainty is due to my head swiveling around so fast.  But, which of us was first doesn’t matter because it was a first in another way.

It was the first time a common snapping turtle presented a “Guide to Completing a Successful Belly Flop” to us.   Its fall from a stone ledge was a real-world demonstration of stilling embarrassment, leaving despair behind and acting with resilience.

Will you be as fast as a turtle to start again?