Trying and Failing

Sometimes, in life, we have to accept that there are certain things we can't change. There are things that we might want to be, or want to do, but no matter how hard we try, we just don't succeed. And that's okay. Nobody is perfect, and nobody can do every single thing that they want to do. We're not superhumans, after all.

And guess what? That applies to all areas of life: exercise, parenting, work-life balance.... Often we set challenges for ourselves, and we may hit many (or even most) of them, but inevitably we run into one particular challenge that seems impossible to overcome. The tricky part is knowing when it's best to keep trying, and when it's time to step back and, "I can't do this. I'm done. And that's okay."

For me, recently, it's been about running. LAME, I know. I don't have anything deeper right now, okay? (Actually, that's a lie. There are so many areas of my life that I could apply this to, but I'm choosing to talk to you about running today, because that's what's on my mind). I have come to the conclusion that I am never going to be a fast runner. No matter how hard I try, my speed just isn't increasing. And I think I'm starting to accept that. Sure, I still have a goal to run 5k in under 30 minutes, but if I can manage to do that even ONCE I'll be happy. And if I can't do it at all, I won't die. I've realized that I am much more of a distance runner - I can push myself to run longer and farther, but not faster. And instead of being disappointed about not being able to do it all, I'm choosing to be happy about the progress that I do make.

Maybe you can't run fast, like me. Maybe you can't run at all. Maybe you can't do push ups, or a chin up, or squats with a 50-lbs weight. Maybe you can't do DIY-projects while maintaining a half-crazy household. Maybe you skip the homemade meal a few times a week. Maybe you've tried and tried and tried, but still aren't succeeding in whatever you hope to achieve. That doesn't make you a failure. Trying isn't failing. Changing goals, creating new ones, and abandoning other are not failures - as long as you keep going.