I didn't email last week's blog posting because it was a report of bad news.
Usually,
I have something uplifting and encouraging to say. I want to be about
motivating us to create a healthy lifestyle by incorporating our highest
ideals, enlisting our faith, living out our best affirmations. Last
week, I learned that for my own health-related research project, all of
that uplift goes up in smoke, in the face of preparing for midterm
exams.
As you may recall, the research project attempts to introduce a healthy lifestyle modification to HBCU students.
We are trying to incorporate a change in bad health habits by taking on
three tiny healthy habits per week. A few weeks ago, I introduced you
to Summer Davis, one of my undergraduate research assistants. She is
joined by 4 other on the team and one of them is really struggling to
even remember her 3 Tiny Habits, let alone to do them. She confessed
this in our team meeting and as honest confessions often do, this led to
more confessions from other members -about Coca Cola for breakfast;
Skittles under the pillow and plain old fried catfish and hot sauce (this confession from me- the vegetarian!).
So, we all
slip up occasionally. What's the harm. Well there is harm in a "slip
up" IF it is used as a reason to "give up." This is what I told them.
Slip
up but don't give up- This is a great approach to have in life,
especially when you are trying to be a better you. Or even when you are
trying to start a research project. Easy to say, harder to do. That is what I should have told them.
Our
research project has had to adapt to change. Last week we spoke to the
head of residence halls and she is very enthusiastic about us bringing
healthy eating habits to five freshmen residence halls....FIVE Freshmen
dorms. We had planned for 30 participants not 300. So, I'm a little
apprehensive about the program that we will bring to these potential participants, especially in
the light of Cola for breakfast and night time Skittles.
I'm
not giving up or anything like that, but the slip-ups feel like failures to me. I have
a very hard time with failing...and that is my real confession.
One
benefit of giving up dieting is the inevitable sense of failure a diet
relapse will bring..but that doesn't mean that failures are all bad.
When my lab team confessed their slip ups I should have said more than
"don't give up" But I first needed time to remind myself that failure is and
has been my greatest teacher.. that starting again the day after the
failure takes courage, determination and therefore builds character. I
had to remember that most of research is a succession of failures before
the breakthrough.
Failures are necessary before the breakthrough.
From
a faith perspective, there is no faith without failure...since it is
the possibility of something won't work out that calls for faith that it
will.
Slip up but don't give up..but if you must fail, then learn from it.
