Go hard, fall, get up, and hit it again Published July 31, 2008 By Lt. Col. James Mullin, Commander 552nd Maintenance Squadron 19 June 2008 -- Go hard, fall, get up, and hit it again. How we fall matters-- how we get back up matters a heck of a lot more. I coach ice hockey. In practice, I tell players to skate beyond their comfort zone. Falling is not just ok but occasionally expected. The important thing is to get right back up and go hard to the puck. In my squadron, I apply that same philosophy: I ask my Airmen to constantly improve the way we do our jobs. In these challenging times, trying new ways to get things done is the shot you have to take--sometimes you nail it, sometimes you have to shoot again. But we can't be afraid to make mistakes, to not get it perfect the first time, and we can't be afraid to fall. Keep in mind, most of us spend a lot more time making decisions about efficiency and effectiveness than we do about life and limb. When training, we train hard and try new things all the time, developing the tactics and techniques to make us better warriors. Training is a great opportunity to innovate, a place to make mistakes, learn, and through all of that-- improve. We train so hard because when we go into combat, the American people expect us to succeed. Our Airman's Creed demands success when we go up against the enemy. We owe our fellow Airmen our best effort--and we owe them and ourselves our best preparation. It's easy to motivate yourself to give 110% in the big game, but working hard when you're preparing for it takes more effort. We work hard, train hard, fall, get up, and fight on so that when we take on an adversary we can defeat him. Vince Lombardi said, "If you'll not settle for anything less than your best, you will be amazed at what you can accomplish in your lives." It is that will for striving, the ability to fall and get back up, and the passion for what we do that ultimately defines success--no matter what it is we are striving for.