Soon they will be everywhere again – solutions, goals, whatever you call them. The clock strikes midnight, fireworks go off and everything feels shiny and new.

This will be the year you finally quit smoking, the year you will get the well-deserved pay raise, the year you find your calling and the love of your life.

Anything is possible when the New Year comes!

 

 

But how about now, with the old year coming to an end? How about the day you sit down to reflect on what you actually wanted to achieve in 2018 and realize that you, no denying that, failed?

Even worse, when you realize that you gave it your all, but that still wasn´t enough?

 

We all have this one thing we try over and over again, but never stick to it. For me that is eating less sugar. I have tried it year after year, but inevitably (usually in February, when my birthday comes around), I fail. I guess I have grown accustomed to that.

But how do you deal with failure when you know, deep down in our heart, that you tried everything? It is something that has been on my mind a lot lately, as I had to accept that despite putting in a lot of effort, I am farther away from earning money with my blog than I ever was before. In fact, I earned less than I did in 2017. And I really tried. (Read about my plans for 2018 here)

Instead of being sorry for myself though I wanted to share how I deal with failure.

 

Take a step back

Probably the hardest part, but a crucial one. As long as you are still in over your head, hustling for your goal, you will never be able to see the whole picture. Force yourself to take a break, maybe just for the weekend, maybe longer, and try to really distance yourself from your project.

 

Analyze the process

If you made a plan at the beginning of the year, now is the time to get it out again. Did you get sidetracked? Did you invest energy and time in the wrong place? Is there something you learned recently that would have changed your approach if you had known it right from the beginning?

 

Reevaluate your goal

Now that you had a break, ask yourself if that really still is what you want. A year is a very long time, and it is okay to change your prospect on what is important in life. Maybe you have another project that you want to invest your time in, maybe you realize that what was important for you back then isn´t important to you anymore

 

Try to accept what is given

Some things aren´t meant to happen. Not everything in life can be achieved, no matter how hard you try. Just like you I have been bombarded with messages telling me that “Everything is possible” and that you “Just keep going” to get what you want.

But life doesn´t work that way. Sometimes you need to know the right person, sometimes you just need to get lucky and sometimes you will try all your life and never succeed.

 

Forgive yourself and move on

But if you did everything you could and it still didn´t work out, accept that it isn´t your fault. You can´t force luck. Not everything will fall into place because you keep trying, and sometimes letting go of a dream is the best thing you can do, as it will free energy for something else.

 

Mind you, I am not telling you to give up as soon as the going gets rough. But if you are honest with yourself, you will know when it is time to accept that you failed. And then focus on the fact that this failure doesn´t make you a lesser person, and that maybe it is time to let go.

Here is to a fresh start and new dreams – here is to a wonderful year 2019!