When an athlete gives an extraordinary performance, or when a musician plays the most enchanting music, we tend to forget that it took many rehearsals to get there.

Behind the scenes, a lot of criticism and misplays were required before they could reach the pinnacle of performance.

The unusual thing about our lives is that we really only have one go at it. Though Islams and Christians have paradise and Hindus and Buddhists have rebirth, one thing is common: this time in this body is unique. We really only have one chance in this moment.

This presents the dilemma: how do we know what to do, since we cannot compare our decisions to a previous experience? There is no means of testing what course of action is better, because we have no means for comparison. If life is a performance, everything is paralysing.

But what if we thought of it the other way around? That this moment is just a rehearsal, and everything is a safe opportunity to fail and improve? How much more liberating would that be?

And perhaps one day, when it is really is time to perform, our mistakes will have made us into something quite extraordinary.