Fall. Laugh. Rise. Repeat (With a Twist!)

Life has an interesting way of teaching us lessons. Sometimes through books, sometimes through TED Talks, and sometimes through an 8-year-old girl named

Smitha who decided that running on a slippery rock was the ultimate adventure

sport.

Picture this: a sunny day, a happy child, a small rock that looked harmless but

clearly had other plans. Smitha takes three enthusiastic steps, ready to conquer

the world—or at least this rock—and BOOM! She slips, falls, and my heart skips

a beat.

I flinch every time I see that video. The sound of her fall still echoes in my head.

But Smitha? She laughs. Yes, she laughs through the sting of scraped knees,

through the embarrassment, through the “ouch” moment. A laugh that says, “I’m fine!” even when I know that deep down it hurt—physically and a little emotionally

too. And then came the part that floored me.She didn’t sulk. She didn’t cry.

She didn’t even ask for a timeout. She got up and tried again immediately—

but with a difference.

This time, instead of taking three big steps like Usain Bolt on a mission,

she took two cautious steps, slowed down, and then… success! The same rock

that had plotted against her earlier now bowed in defeat. And that’s when it

hit me.

We all love to quote “Fall down seven times, stand up eight.” Great quote. Inspiring.

But Smitha added a footnote to that famous line:

“Stand up again, yes—but stand up smarter.”

Trying again doesn’t mean repeating the same steps at the same speed and

expecting a different outcome. That’s not persistence—that’s stubbornness

disguised as grit. Smitha taught me that resilience isn’t just about bouncing back;

it’s about bouncing back with a lesson in your pocket. It’s about adjusting your

steps, recalibrating your speed, and still chasing that victory.

So the next time life knocks you down, don’t just stand up blindly. Stand up,

take a breath, tweak your approach, and then give life a run for its money.

And if you can, laugh while you do it—even if it hurts a little.

Moral of the Story:

Persistence is powerful, but persistence with adaptability? That’s unstoppable.