“Success is he ability to go from failure to failure without losing your enthusiasm.” – Winston Churchill

You’re going to fail. Probably more than once. Maybe more than you care to count. I know it’s a pill that’s hard to swallow. But stay with me, because there’s so much freedom in it.

Failure means you’re trying. It means you’re moving. It means you’re learning what doesn’t work — and making room for what does.

And here’s the truth I had to learn the hard way: if you want to succeed, you have to be willing to fail along the way. I’ve done both; lost 120 pounds, then regained 65. And you know what? I’m still here. Still showing up. Still learning. Still growing. Because setbacks are not the end of the story. They’re setups for a better one.

Let’s Talk About Fear (and the Lies it Tells You)

Most of us never even get to failure, because fear stops us before we start.

We play out the worst-case scenarios in our minds. We assume we’ll mess it up again. We talk ourselves out of trying before we even get going. I’ve been there. Still land there sometimes.

But here’s something I know to be true:

Courage isn’t the absence of fear. It’s resisting it. It’s choosing to take action in spite of it. Doing it scared doesn’t mean you’re weak; it means you’re brave.

And for me? That courage often starts with my faith. Over the years, I’ve drawn strength, hope, and resilience from it, especially in the moments where I felt stuck or not enough. It’s been the reminder I needed that I’m not alone, and I don’t have to have it all figured out to begin again.

Whether or not you share that belief, this truth still holds:

Darkness is where fear grows. And the antidote? Light.

Name your fear. Say it out loud.
Tell someone you trust, or just say it in the mirror.
Bring it into the light and watch it shrink.

Because once fear loses its grip, you’ll find the freedom to move forward, even if you still feel shaky. That’s where growth lives. That’s where momentum begins.

Setbacks are Speedbumps

You know those moments where progress stalls, the scale creeps up, or you slip into old habits? I used to see those as failures. Full stop.

Now? I recognize them as speed bumps. Not roadblocks. Speed bumps slow you down just enough to pay attention. To adjust. To catch your breath. To avoid hazards you might have missed if you kept barreling down the road at the same pace. And sometimes that’s exactly what you need to move forward more intentionally.

So if you’ve experienced a setback, welcome to the club. You’re not broken. You’re not starting over. You’re building awareness, resilience, and strength in the process.

Let Go of Perfection

And while we’re talking about fear, let’s name another lie that keeps us stuck:

Perfection.

You don’t need to be perfect to make progress. In fact, perfection is the lowest standard you can set for yourself, because it’s unachievable. It’s a trap that keeps you from starting, a reason to stay stuck, and an excuse to quit when things get messy. Let it go.

Give yourself permission to be a work in progress, because that’s what real change is made of.

Fail Your Way Forward

So yes, you will fail. But you will also learn. You will grow. And you will get back up. If you’ve been waiting for the perfect time to start or a fail-proof plan to keep you on track forever, I hate to break it to you, it doesn’t exist.

But what does exist is this moment, right now. And the decision to move forward, even if you’ve failed before. Especially if you’ve failed before.

You are not a failure because you’ve failed. You are a fighter because you’re still here.

So go ahead. Be brave. Fail forward. Do it scared. Do it messy.

And don’t stop until you’ve grown through it.

xo,
Lisa 💜