fbpx

Learn by Failure and Keep Moving Forward

Taking up bicycling in my fifties has given me many opportunities to learn by failure. Did I tell you about my humiliating mountain biking effort? https://deborahrankinrd.com/a-gratitude-journal-transformed-my-mountain-biking-failure/ How about the time my bike seat fell off as I sat on it?

Ten years ago I bought my first good bicycle with money I gained from my tax refund. I found a scenic trail near my house and went out to ride for miles. Then I stopped. You can read the sign. It was a Big. Dead. End.

belly fat loss workouts

I poked around, looked closer, and found a tiny gap to the left of the barricade. There was just enough room for me to push my bike through. Look what I discovered on the other side! I proceeded onto a wide, level, paved bike trail. It was an easy place to ride. I had fun.

However, I would have never known what I would find on the other side of the gate if I hadn’t found a way around it. Does that have any bearing on your health goals, workout goals, food goals, work goals?

Perhaps you have tried before, once or many times. Maybe you still didn’t get where you wanted to be. To accomplish what you want you must learn by failure, and find a way around obstacles, barricades, and setbacks.

Learn By Failure

Once I asked my mastermind group to talk about this: a business or personal failure, and what you learned from it. It was a powerful session, for several reasons.

  • Admitting failure means I take responsibility.

It’s much easier to complain about problems, issues, difficult situations or difficult  people that make it hard for me to do what I want to do.  Regardless of the validity of my complaint, I probably won’t learn anything from the experience until I take responsibility.

  • I can’t move on until I learn.

Counselors and therapists suggest that our subconscious draws us to people and situations that re-create unhealed issues from the past. Until we learn that lesson and choose a different response, we get stuck fighting the same battles and feeling the same hurts. I know I’ve wasted years of my life struggling with situations I could have learned from much earlier. Have you?

  • Failure may be a sign I need to alter course and try a different approach.

Vincent Van Gogh, the renowned painter, wanted to be a minister but failed the admission exam to theology school. He lost a volunteer job as a missionary because he gave his lodgings to a homeless person. Despite many failures, Van Gogh found his calling and created captivating paintings we still admire.

learn by failure like Van Gogh

(I originally inserted a picture of Van Gogh’s famous sunflower painting in this place, but the museum didn’t like me using it. So here’s a sunflower photo I took myself!)

Exercise for Stress Relief

If you want to build new habits that make exercise and nourishing foods a more consistent part of your life, what can you do to learn by failure and stick with it?

Here are a few famous quotes about persistence. Sit back, take a few deep breaths, and think on them. Pick one that applies to your quest for physical and emotional health. Think about it, write it down, and journal about it tomorrow morning. You are journaling, aren’t you? https://deborahrankinrd.com/journaling-for-weight-loss/

I have a rule: If I keep complaining about something, I either do something about it or let it go.—Tina Roth Eisenberg

Acceptance of what has happened is the first step to overcome the consequences of any misfortune.—William James

Nothing ever goes away until it has taught us what we need to know.—Pema Chodron

Success is not final. Fear is not fatal. It is the courage to continue that counts.—Winston Churchill

Dripping water hollows out stone, not through force but through persistence.–Ovid

Free Journaling Infographic

To get my free infographic with tips on how to keep journaling even when every day is different, fill in the blanks below.

©️ 2022 Healthy Habits Communications LLC

4 thoughts on “Learn by Failure and Keep Moving Forward”

  1. I also selected the quote from Winston Churchill. Great lesson for each of us. I look forward to next weeks book review. Thank you for keeping us well informed on many topics. All my best. Anne

  2. Thank you for today’s incredible post! I like the Winston Churchill quote best if I had to choose! And West With the Night is one of my favorite books ever, possibly my very favorite if I had to choose one. I look forward to your post on that! All best, Jennifer

    1. Deborah Rankin, RD

      Kind thanks, Jennifer! A vote for Winston Churchill. West With the Night is magical. She pulls me into every single story.

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

More from the Blog

Eat More Greens The Easy Way

Eat more greens the easy way by keeping your pantry stocked with seasoned, canned greens, and packaged, pre-washed fresh greens. Put these items on your weekly grocery order to always have them available. They are great fall backs on those nights when you don’t know what to have for dinner and want something healthier than

A quick hack to feel happier

My cousin and I laugh big belly laughs when people tell obvious lies. It’s stupid, it wastes energy, but more important, I find admitting your truths is a quick hack to feel happier. To understand why, let’s think about putting new roofs on houses, and dating online. What? Repair the roof, don’t just cover up

This is a picture of a cute brown puppy who seems very puzzled by this question.

Who knows your good stories?

With the holidays coming up there will be a plethora of opportunities to tell stories, at least if your family is like mine. This year, give some thought to the kind of stories you tell. What you say has the power to either torpedo someone’s confidence and self image, or generate a positive affirmation for

stop eating too much during the holiday

Stop Eating Too Much During The Holidays

If you want to stop eating too much during the holidays you have two choices: You can decide what you’re NOT going to do. “I am not going to eat chocolate cake or those cute little holiday cookies with icing and sprinkles and such pretty decorations….” You can think about what you ARE going to

FREE GUIDE

From Deborah Rankin, RD

Five Things to Start Now to Lose Belly Fat