“Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time.” — Thomas A. Edison
If you’re ever around me when I’m handstanding, you’ll probably hear me say, “just one more time,” as a signal that I’m going to try one more time and that will be it. In actuality, that’s probably not the truth. Chances are, I mean “one more good one” or “one more that I hold longer” or “one more on the left/right side.” Since one more “good” one (at least in my mind) might take a while, it’s probably going to be more like five, or even ten, more handstands before I call it done.
My husband Aran knows all too well about my “just one more time” deception. More often than not, he’s stuck holding the camera while I attempt “just one more” handstand in front of a mural or statue or other scenic view, and will patiently roll his eyes and sigh every time I say, “just one more,” knowing good and well it might be another 20 times before I’m finally satisfied.
Could be that my “one more” fibs are a result of being addicted to handstanding, and one more is never enough. Or it could be that I’m always hoping, wishing, dreaming that one more is going to be the most fantabulous handstand ever and “just one more” will put me over the top in my confidence level. More often than not, though, it’s because I know deep down that if my previous attempts have been somewhat poopie, a few more “just one mores” will eventually result in a handstand that I consider to be satisfactory.
It’s a vicious cycle. If I kick up into one handstand that’s good (and by good I mean a nice, strong, stable hold with no wobbling for several seconds), I want to do it “one more time” to make sure the first good one is followed by another — if nothing else to make sure the good one wasn’t a fluke. And if I do one (or more) that’s bad, I want to keep doing it “just one more time” in order to end my handstanding session with at least one good one.
If this handstand journey has taught me anything, it’s that “just one more time” really does make me better. “Just one more time” improves my confidence. And “just one more time” is what has allowed me to move away from the wall, into the middle of the room, and able to handstand in front of others. I now consider myself fairly proficient and successful at doing handstands, but I’m still always doing them “just one more time.”
Thanks you for reading this post. Please share with others if you like what I wrote.
That’s me doing a handstand “just one more time.”
