If at first you don’t succeed.

Welcome to 60 Seconds of Motivational Mojo. Today’s obvious observation; if at first you don’t succeed, try, try again. So simple, but do we really do this in our lives? I have at times tried and other times given up. Every time I gave up, I never got closer to my goals. The only time I ever got closer to my goals is when I failed and tried again.

Let me tell you three different stories in my life where trying again, paid off. Three things that I am currently going through that keep me convinced that you have to be tenacious to reach your goals. Now these are just a few examples, there are still lots of goals that I have that have yet to be reached, so if I am going to get there; I have to take my own advice.

What do knee injuries, software and job hunting have in common? Let me explain. I am currently recovering from a couple of nagging knee injuries. I also like working with computers and making music, so I have some music software I want to learn. I also have a day job and without it there would be no money for making music, let alone things like food and shelter. So I am constantly trying to further my career and I am trying to stay in shape because we only have one chance at this life. So first things first, I have been strengthening my knees by working out with soft weights and wearing knee braces. I started with leg lifts and leg curls but the nagging knee pains just seemed like they would not go away.   I would also walk a mile or two to keep getting stronger and stay in some kind of shape. One day to try something new, I walked with the ankle weights on. I had to take big steps, like walking in deep snow. My legs ached while I was walking and they hurt the next day even more. A strange thing happened two days after my ankle weight walk. My knees hurt less than they had in a long time. So I figure, why not repeat this every weekend and have the week to recover. So every weekend I would strap on my Five Pound Ankle Weights and walk until my knees and legs begged me to stop. Again, I was very careful not to make things worse; I stayed under control each step of the way.

One day, while at the store, I found some two and a half pound ankle weights. I figure, why not wear them in the between days while I walk around at work, and step up my five pound power walk days to a couple of times a week. Keep trying and trying again until I find the right mix of workouts. I noticed I was recovering faster. Yes, I would have a bad day for every workout day, but I also had less and less pain on each day after the recovery days. Try, try again.

Now I also was trying to make sure I was making the right career moves. I have been lucky and blessed to be moving forward the last few years. I was able to change gears and not take a step backward; all the while, every 6 months or so I would apply to a company that was closer to home. I really wanted a shorter commute. This went on for a few years. I switched jobs not once, but twice; trying to find the right place for me. I could not even get an interview at the company I was targeting.

After Five Years of Trying, putting in my resume online and by e-mail every six months; the company I was targeting called me. I had switched jobs twice and was feeling pretty good about myself. Needless to say all the interviews and jobs I didn’t get, and all the jobs I did get, prepared me for the interview with the company I was targeting. When they called me, I was more than ready to go in for an interview. I ended up getting two different offers within 24 hours. After 5 years of trying, I was finally hired in at the place I had targeted all along. Try, try again.

Now during all of this, I was trying to work with special software that would allow me to make music using a variety of pre-recorded loops, virtual instruments and external keyboards that I had been collecting. I bought a lot of things second hand and on clearance and I wanted one piece of software that would tie everything together. I actually bought a second hand laptop and a second hand keyboard, just to get the software I need for free. I loaded up the software – Ableton Live Version 7 Lite. I registered the software online and also bought a couple of mini key boards that were half off to get more free software to use with Ableton. Needless to say the software was out of date and I had to e-mail tech support. They gave me a free upgrade to Ableton Live Version 8. I loaded up all the software and my laptop started acting strange. The hard drive would spin out of control. I thought I caught a virus from all the free stuff I was trying. I could not get the software to behave on the laptop.

Try, try again. So after buying another used laptop and getting the software and memory upgraded, I bought yet another ½ off clearance keyboard to get a new copy of Ableton Live Version 9. After years of struggles I was able to obtain success. Some of, most of the software I had compiled would not run in Ableton 9 because it was 32 bit instead of 64 bit; but other copies of the software I had compiled ran and ran very nicely. Sorry about the Techno-Jargon Babble, 3 versions of software latter and I am up and running with lots to learn and lots to look forward to learning.

My job, my hobby and my health; I could have given up one either and all of them. I could have said, this is all there is and all there will ever be; but I choose to try again. So now I give to you the only advice I think that is worth giving. I give to you the advice that I am living. Try, try again.

I still have lots more to do. I have to settle in at a new job and make my mark. I have to continue to work out and get stronger. I have many, many hours chasing inspiration and learning new software. But what do I have to lose by trying? I stand to gain more by trying and trying again until I get things right. You gain nothing when you give up. You can gain the world if you will only try and try again.