Why Failing Doesn't Make Me A Failure

Remember a few weeks ago when I excitedly shared my new journey with the Whole30 program? Remember hearing anything about it since then? No? Well, that's because I FAILED!

I did great with the program for the first 11 days—getting through the headache stage, and then the tired stage. I was actually starting to feel great! Then it was Grandma's birthday and we decided to treat her to dinner. She chose Chinese, and my resolve with the Whole30 crumbled.

At dinner that fateful night I prayed to God that I wouldn't regret the decision of going from super clean eating to Chinese takeout. You may think that prayer was a joke, but it wasn't. I was fearful of the repercussions of this decision, and yet it was my decision to make. Thankfully I had no side effects from eating the Chinese food—actually now that I think about it I felt better after eating Chinese that day than I ever have before. Weird.

But that lack of repercussion kind of opened up a can of worms. I had to wonder why I was following this plan to "feel better" when I had cheated with the WORST meal one could cheat with and still felt great. Why should I keep up with this strict eating plan? So I didn't.

But you know what? That does NOT make me a failure! One thing I've been learning on this journey to health and fitness is that it's about bettering myself, not perfection.

Can I walk away from the Whole30 with new knowledge that I can appreciate and implement when I feel like? YES! Did I learn that I can say "No" to all forms of sugar, except what is naturally found in fruits and veggies? YES! That was a huge step for me. I am a sugar addict, and am realizing the truth of that statement more and more. But I don't have to allow that addiction to control me. Instead I have the power to choose.

Maybe you have failed at your diet, exercise plan, or while trying to break a bad habit, etc. Know this, YOU are not a failure, and YOU have a choice every time you fail to learn and grow through that failure into a better you.

I can hear my husband quoting Batman right now: "Why do we fall, Bruce? So we can learn to pick ourselves up."