Failure is such a dark word in our world today. It brings up feelings of “not enough” and becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Growing up, I can remember by mom talking about being a “failure” often. That word has been in my mind for a very long time.

Your mind likely has its own story about failure. Was it something you didn’t do or something that you haven’t started? Maybe you feel like a failure.

When you mind constructs a “story” about something, it can inform future decisions. If you believe that you are a failure, you are likely sabotaging your efforts, without even realizing it. There is a block that happens in the mind against future success when you stay stuck in the failure mindset.

Let’s look at what it mean to fail? Failure has two definitions, according to Oxford Languages. The first is “lack of success.” The second is “the omission of expected or required action.”

I love this second definition. It explains that failure is simply a lack of required action. You haven’t failed! You have just not completed the “expected or required action.”

We all make plans to do something or to add a healthy habit into our lives and then get down on ourselves when it doesn’t happen. But WHY didn’t it happen?

During the Build Great Habits Forever Challenge, I have been teaching the need to track our progress. This is not to determine success or failure, but to examine what is working and what is not. It is all just more information.

That information can help you figure out what you missed. Take a few minutes to think about what was something that you have been wanting to do or add into your life (Or TAKE AWAY) that you have not been able to accomplish … yet. Can you identify one action that you didn’t take yet?

If you wanted to add yoga into your life, have you placed you mat somewhere that you see it every morning?

If you wanted to journal more, have you placed your journal on your pillow in the morning so that you can see it when you are about to crawl into bed?

If you wanted to drink more water, did you get a water bottle that will work and add reminders in your phone to drink?

If you wanted to stop eating ice cream at night, did you buy a new healthy snack to replace this habit?

There are MANY ways that you can accomplish your goal. There is not ONE right action. But make no mistake, without taking that action, you won’t accomplish what you set out to do.

We can think about what we want in our heads over and over again, but without action, there will not be a successful outcome.

Lastly, have you let a failure mindset infect your beautiful soul?

When I was in nursing school, my fellow students would often talk about their fears of failure. Instead of studying, they would gather to discuss how much they didn’t study! I remember so many occasions saying to them (and myself), “Do not entertain thoughts of failure.” We cannot give these thoughts utterances or any time in our minds. So often we fail before we even try. We fail because we don’t believe we can.

No matter what the goal is that you want to add (or subtract), it comes down to the next right step, or action.

It is time to get up. It is time to get moving. No more excuses or listing all the reasons that you “can’t.”

It is time to BELIEVE that you can, examine what you need to do, and then make it happen.

There is no time to lose. This beautiful life we have been gifted is short and the worlds needs you.

You matter. Your life matters. It is time to live the life that you were born to live.

Love,

Rachel