Failure is Part of Success – How to Learn from your Mistakes

Are you willing to fail in front of others? Are you willing to share what you failed in or what goals you didn’t accomplish with the same energy and intentions you share your wins? 

Don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing wrong in sharing the highlights and wins in your life, but the problem is that it can show a false narrative or mislead people to think that everything is perfect and that the road to success is filled with wins after wins which isn’t true. Failure and mistakes are part of the journey to success and they help you learn and grow, so there’s no need to feel shame or guilt because you weren’t able to accomplish your goals. Just get back up, learn from your mistake and keep working at it. 

Also, sharing your wins can be inspiring and it can definitely make you feel great, but being open, honest, transparent, and vulnerable to share your failures, your flops, and fall flat in your face moments takes courage. In fact, it’s equally inspiring and more powerful when you are transparent about your mistakes, failures, and low moments, because you get the opportunity to show others how to rise up, be resilient, press on, push through and persevere despite the obstacles you face. 

I’ve seen so many people share their wins for Q1 but today I’m going to do the opposite and share a goal I wasn’t able to achieve, then I’ll break it down to share why I wasn’t able to achieve it.

One of my goals for Q1 was to exercise 4-5x/week so I’d lose the 20lbs I gained the past year. A big part of the weight gain was because of the stress during the past 12months, from the pandemic to the increased racism, injustice and political unrest in our country. My schedule and activity level decreased with my new contract working 9-5 as a Nurse Practitioner. It required me to sit more than I’ve ever done at any job instead of being on my feet. Also, to be completely  transparent, when I get stressed, food is my go to source of comfort especially when the carbohydrate dense foods/snacks. I know it’s a bad habit which I’m already working on but I’m being honest with you. Can you relate?

Anyway, by the end of March when I didn’t achieve my goals, I had to sit back, reflect and be honest in my evaluation of why. So this is what I discovered and this is how I’m adjusting so I can get myself back on track.

1. I do better when I have an Accountability Partner or workout buddy because I exercise harder, get out of my comfort zone, and push myself beyond my limits. So I decided to renew my gym membership at LA Fitness & get a personal trainer to motivate me, challenge me, and most especially, hold me accountable so I can achieve my goals.
2. Once I got stuck fluctuating at only a 5lbs weight loss, I was so focused on the 20lbs loss that I didn’t celebrate the progress. Instead, I became disappointed in myself and lost focus on the purpose behind the weight loss which is to be healthier, stronger, and more fit to live life to the fullest and be able to keep up with my son CJ who is very active. Anyway, once I got disappointed in myself, I became inconsistent with how I showed up for myself to exercise. 
3. So now I’ve identified the problem and we’ve entered Q2, I also decided to modify my goal and my strategy. My goal is to increase my daily activity level by having a structured exercise at least 3x Week for 30mins but on the other days, I still need to make sure I walk, jog, skip or dance just to keep moving and strive to get 10k steps/day. Also, my goal now is to focus on being an active and healthy woman and fall in love with the process of being consistent and building stamina and strength. Now, I’m more focused on how I show up instead of the weight itself because if I’m consistent and mindful about how I move, how I train, how and what I eat, the outcome is that my body will get healthier and stronger regardless of what size, shape or weight I am.

Therefore, if you are like me and you weren’t able to accomplish a specific goal you set for Q1, that’s ok. Delay on the journey doesn’t mean denial or defeat. Sometimes setbacks are inspirations for new strategies and solutions for success. Learn from every mistake and failure by holding yourself accountable. Be intentional to apply your new found knowledge, skill or habit when you create a new strategy to achieve that specific goal. It’s also ok to adjust your goal and your plan, but never quit until you achieve it.

So with all that said, how do you feel about your past failed goals or mistakes? Are you willing to fail in front of others? Are you willing to get comfortable with being uncomfortable so you can grow? Kindly share something you recently failed in and the lesson you learned, so we can also learn from you.

For more resources, support and accountability to achieve your Q2 goals, purchase “The Productivity Bundle“ to get the Success Workbook to transform your mindset, the Productivity Planner and Manifestation Journal to set SMART goals, create a custom plan, to strategize and manifest your vision, in addition to the Productivity Guide and Resources with different Systems to implement, Tools to use and People you need in your life to support you because the secret to sustaining success lies in the systems and support you have.