Learning to Fail

I've failed often at small things - physical or personal challenges, exams, crossword puzzles (lots of these).

But I haven't failed to a point where I've let myself down...until now.

A business that I put my heart into, but in retrospect not enough time or passion to overcome my personal shortfalls, is closing. And I feel like I've failed myself.

I feel like I've let myself down, my wife down, my family and friends and clients down. It's absurd, I know! Everyone just wants the best for me, for me to be happy, and they all understand that the business must close for that to happen.

But I can't stop feeling this way.

So how do I overcome the emotions and look at the positives?

I know failing is good - you learn, you move on, you create better - but damn, it's hard!

As I look around, read articles, and see (even though I know it inside, I need reminded) that most successful individuals have failed numerous times, I do have faith that I'll overcome my emotions.

That reality will set in. That I'll move to bigger and better opportunities.

So until that happens, what's next for me?

I guess this is a time for exploration. Some self-reflection and relaxing. Being in the present and dreaming of the future.

It's a good place to be - only said as I'm coming to accept (and learn) that I'm in a good place and the future will be bright.

The options are wide-open again. I can find another passion (or re-envision the first).

But for now...I'll just be.

Yours in exploiting life!
Quinn

Have you failed? How did you move on?

The Whole30 Lifestyle

Challenge complete.

We successfully completed our second round of Whole30!

Thirty days without consuming sugar, dairy, legumes, grains, or alcohol and tobacco.

No cheat days. No exceptions. We made it 30 days! (We had a couple of cheat days in our first round starting about day 24.)

Intimidating to hear but it really wasn’t that bad.

Additional grocery and meal planning is required, as well as extra preparation time in the kitchen, but being able to eat meat (and eggs), vegetables, and fruit can be oddly filling.

I’m not saying all of our cravings were suppressed, though this is a goal we’d like to reach, and temptation was everywhere.  Our first week of Whole30 also included National Donut Day; it was not easy to walk around the office filled with glazed Krispy Kreme donuts!

We found great recipes, which we’ll continue to eat in the future regardless of the restrictions of Whole30. We mostly used Paleo websites and cookbooks, and found substitutes for the ingredients we’re avoiding.

Our go-to recipe is Salmon with Avocado Salsa (delicious!), which we bake instead of grill.

Another added plus to this round was reading the book “It Starts with Food” (see resources below) by the creators of the program. The wait list at the library was ridiculous – I put it on hold last time we did Whole30 – but it was a great reminder about why we wanted to participate. (Yes, I'm a library fanatic. Sometimes I have to wait for a hot book but I read a lot - and spend little to no money doing it.)

We feel great. We’ve been more active during the program than we have been in quite awhile – camping, hiking, lake swimming, city walks – and (other than prepping and packing meals) we haven’t been slowed down by our food.

This was a great challenge for us, and one of our longest (outside of 100 days of burpees).

At this point, we’ve decided to continue on past the 30 days and start living a more Whole30 life. We’ll slowly reintroduce a few foods, to see how our bodies react, but overall we'll keep ourselves pretty limited.

Here’s to a healthy body, so nothing holds you back from exploiting life. Cheers!

Resources for Whole30 -

Whole30 Program Website - Details about the program, shopping lists, meal lists, and tips.

It Starts with Food - Book written by the creators of Whole30. Looks of great details about why they recommend removing certain foods from your diet. Also includes meal plans and recipes.

Whole30 Cookbook - Lots of delicious recipes!

NomNom Paleo - Paleo recipes. Easy to modify for Whole30 compliance.

Are you focusing on health? Has your physical ability ever held you back from reaching your goals?

Yours in exploiting life!
Quinn