Progress Isn’t Linear, So Give Yourself a Break
Before I dive in, I thought it would be fun to share some of my favorite Infographics that depict this concept:
Here’s the thing, every day, you’re a little better off than you were before because every day you know a little bit more than you did the day before, and that is progress.
Will there be ups and downs? Yes.
Part of every journey is anticipating failure. Anticipating that things WILL not go as planned.
If you assume everything will go smoothly, you’ll be derailed by a “bad” day.
It’ll be easy to lose hope.
It’ll be easy to say you’re not making any progress.
It’ll be easy to blame yourself, throw in the towel, and say, “What’s the point.”
If you assume there will be days that won’t go smoothly, you’ll ride the waves with more ease because you won’t be surprised, or caught off guard.
Note: This is different than a negative self-fulfilling prophecy where one goes, “Well, I’m going to fail anyways, so what’s the point in even trying.” One here would believe failing is the end. What I’m asking you to do, is see whatever perceived “failure” you have, as feedback, and to keep going with the new information you’ve learned. I would argue that these aren’t even failures… but in an effort not to rant, I’ll end my point there.
With time and curiosity, you build your own roadmap. Your own toolkit. So that every time a past obstacle presents itself again, you know what to do. This is the beauty of aging. Time + experience = knowledge. As you get older, you become more knowledgeable through experience. One hopes, I guess. You could just ignore everything you’ve been through and not learn anything…
Anyways, I hope this helps you in two ways:
You realize that progress isn’t linear, so you give yourself a break when things don’t go as you planned because…
You learn to appreciate perceived “failures” as feedback, and learn from every experience so you can be at least 1% better next time.
Do you still feel “iffy” about embracing failure?
Learn about some famous failures and what became of them in this blog post of mine: Link
If you’re looking for a safe space where you'll receive support and guidance in achieving your health goals, you're right where you need to be :) Submit a client application to receive your free 15 min consultation with me. I work with clients all over the world-changing their relationship with their health and wellness so that they can reestablish trust in their bodies and feel empowered and confident that they’re always making the best decision for themselves.
Hi, I’m Azul Corajoria, an Integrative Health Coach, Personal Trainer & Yoga Instructor. I support my clients in making step-by-step changes so that they can live a healthy and balanced life. By utilizing lifestyle and behavior adjustments with an emphasis on self-care, I guide and support my client’s in achieving their health goals and bridging the gap between where they are now and where they want to be.
