Why I’m refusing to feel like a failure, and you should too!

Earlier this year I made a personal pledge as part of the 1mLives campaign to stop eating meat. It’s something that’s really important to me for health reasons and for ethical reasons. I’m also a really competitive person who doesn’t like to be defeated. But in this instance, I admit defeat. And for now, I’ve officially put my pledge on pause.

Blaming it on the baby…

I probably shouldn’t, but I’m going to blame being pregnant. All this baby wants is meat, cheese, bread and pasta - four things that I couldn’t care less about beforehand, so I promise it’s not just me indulging after years of depriving myself of my favourite things.

Apparently, more protein is needed, and legitimately craved during pregnancy. So I’m going to use that as an excuse, too. And before you say it, yes I know that I can get protein from other sources, but they really aren’t appealing to the baby (fine, me!) right now. So that’s it.

Getting the guilt

The worse thing about putting my pledge on pause is the guilt that comes with it. I feel like I’ve failed. That I’ve backtracked on what I believe in. That I’m not setting a good example for making and sticking to important positive improvements. Feeling like that sucks. Well, it did, until I decided to give myself a break.

If you’re feeling the guilt too, or have felt like that before and it’s putting you off committing to doing something to improve your life, then here’s what I’ve learned:

1. It takes both time, and small steps to make big changes - so expect small setbacks, too.

2. Setbacks don’t equal failure, use them to learn from.

3. Don’t let guilt make you feel like you can’t start again.

Ultimately, what I’m saying is, we’re all human. And we’re all certainly not perfect. So let’s try to keep moving forwards with positivity and not let negativity hold us back.

Feel positive about pledging

So, what’s next? Well, I’m going to think about making a new pledge and choosing something positive to focus on as my life goes through some big changes in the next few months. I’ll keep you updated on what I decide.

Now, how about you? Fancy putting a pledge in writing today? Maybe there’s something you’ve been putting off doing - taking up yoga, learning how to cook, cutting out sugar, reading more? If it improves your life in some way, no matter how small, let’s get you started today. Think positive and place your pledge here. Good luck!