Are You Falling Forward or Falling Behind?

the direction you fall - is your choice

Without fail, this time of year highlights the picturesque scenery along the hills and highways of my great home state of North Carolina. It’s the time of year that can’t exactly be put into words – a fall season in the Carolinas has to be experienced.

As the leaves begin to change from varying degrees of green to bright hues of red, orange and yellow it’s a beautiful reminder of God’s faithfulness not only with the seasons but the overall pattern of life.

It’s the pattern that makes this season the perfect time of year to be intentional, to focus on falling forward – and not falling behind.

When my daughters were learning how to ride a bike, I frequently said to them, you will fall, everyone falls – what matters is how you fall and how you get up.


You will fall, everyone falls – what matters is how you fall and how you get up.

You will fall, you will fail, – the direction is your choice.


With only two months left in the year and less daylight to work with, the familiar end-of-year pattern of more and more responsibility, along with the higher expectations of others; our calendar has the potential of becoming filled with acts of ‘busyness’ with little accomplishment.

It doesn’t have to be that way.


Don’t let the same people; circumstances, decisions, patterns and fears keep you from FALLING FORWARD.


The urgency of and for others has the power to make you miss your mark. All of this is why it’s important to be intentional with your time and your focus.

It is easy to be ‘busy’, to be ‘distracted’, to procrastinate, and ultimately fall behind in your work, your life, and most importantly your relationships.

It is hard work to fall forward, to intentionally move toward risk, failure, and change.

Turn off your mobile device (s), back away from the other screens in your life; go to a quiet, distraction-free location, (for those close to the North Carolina mountains, drive the Blue Ridge Parkway**, or experience the Fall foliage surrounding the Asheville** area). When you are in your quiet place – take a few moments to THINK about and answer the following pattern-related questions:

  • What is the one fear in my life that continues to hold me back?
  • What is one step/action I can take to move toward that fear?
  • Which person in my professional life, and in my personal life places more of their burdens, expectations on me at the end of the year? What can I do about it now?

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** I encourage you to visit my friend Mark File’s amazing Romantic Asheville. There is not another online resource that comes close to this comprehensive regional guide. It is truly a labor of love for Mark.

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President

The 26.2 Group formed in 2008 to provide coaching, training, and motivational speaking to people about personal and professional growth, social marketing strategies, and client engagement.

For the previous twenty years, I’d served in various executive leadership positions including a Fortune 500 company, mega-church, large nonprofit organization, and several small entrepreneurial companies.

I hold a Masters from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and BA from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. My current service positions include the Susan G. Komen NC Triad Board of Directors, University of North Carolina at Charlotte Alumni Association Board of Directors, and the Online Brand Camp leadership team. I teach part-time at the Guilford Technical Community College Small Business Center.

I’m also a son, brother, husband, dad, coach, and storyteller.

I created A Tie that Binds Foundation and National Pink Tie Day in 2013 with colleagues to provide resources, support, and hope for men who face breast cancer alongside the women they love. Learn more about breast cancer awareness resources and education organizations at www.atiethatbinds.com.

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