I Feel Like a Failure

I feel like a failure...

• Words we sometimes say to ourselves when we don't achieve what we set out to do.

• We are so often unkind to ourselves when it comes to setting goals and taking the steps to achieve them.

• We'll take one step forward and two steps back.

• Our inner critic will tell us we've failed and after it happens a few times, we'll throw our hands up and just give up, leaving the thing we wanted to achieve by the wayside.

It's a common cycle we all go through with various facets of our life but it doesn't have to be.

I recently worked with a client who was fed up with not feeling good in her own skin, both mentally and physically, who had gained a significant amount of weight over the last several years and was terrified of how this would all show up in her long-term health and ability to age without sickness or disease, and to be there for her daughter. Among other issues, she suffered from regular bouts of GERD after most foods she ate which caused much distress in her daily life.

One of her goals we worked on was how she could set habits in place to change her diet. After 6 weeks, she had shifted her eating almost completely, became more thoughtful and conscientious about her choices both at home and out, and alleviated her symptoms and pain significantly. The most interesting thing is, because she didn't see significant weight loss right away, she didn't celebrate this win and was disappointed in herself and her efforts.

This was just a small example of how important our perspective is to achieving our goals and propelling us forward to keep going.

Small reminders:

• No habit and no change happens overnight, and sometimes not even in a few weeks.

• It takes time, consistency, a positive mindset and sometimes someone to walk alongside you to give you that extra push and ask the right questions.

In this case, I'm glad that person was me.