Is something worth doing, even if it’s not done perfectly? What about if it’s not done consistently? Or if you make a mistake or choice that you didn’t want to and now have to start over? If you mess up, it means you failed. This mindset can feel almost impossible to break out of, and usually results in little to no change in the long run.
Whether it is starting a practice to journal every morning, doing a meditation, or taking a walk before work; building a new habit is extremely hard. Especially when it is one that you really want to keep up with. When we start something new, it almost feels like there is this need to start it and never let it slip. And when it does most likely slip, it can feel like nothing was accomplished, or that everything you’d done was for nothing. This leads to discouragement and maybe even giving up on whatever goal or dream that you had.
But what if you shifted your thoughts around the idea of failing? What if the day you forgot to do your meditation, was just a day? And the next morning you put it back on. Or if the soda you had at lunch didn't make an impact on the healthy dinner you were planning on having? When we see everything that we fail at as the end of the road, we cut off all of our opportunities for growth. We are designed to live in a world full of contrast, a world made up of shades of gray and black and white. If you start to see those little failures or “mistakes” as a necessary part of your journey, then they aren’t the end.
By embracing failure, you can become more gracious and loving to yourself. You can begin to see that you are resilient and can do so much of what you put your mind towards. Long term dreams and desires seem achievable and like a process, rather than one big leap.
