We are almost halfway through the year, and many of us are probably evaluating the first half of 2026 and what we have done. We may be pondering if we have accomplished any goals and/or if we are working our way towards those goals. Some of us may have given up on our goals long ago, but even if we gave them up we are likely still thinking about them. Perhaps even feeling a sense of guilt or shame that we have not stuck to our habits to achieve our goals. Today I wanted to remind you that when looking back, don’t have the mindset of guilt and shame if you are not working towards your goals. Instead have the mindset of the past being a lesson for you. This is how we learn and grow and do better in the future. Our past is just lessons, and our future is opportunity. When we have this mindset, it allows for a positive perspective which leads to growth.

It is easy to get discouraged when you fall off the wagon with your goals and discipline, but my mindset is that every day is a new day to start over! Many people tend to completely give up when they don’t follow through perfectly, but as I frequently say: focus on progress over perfection. Perfection really isn’t sustainable, so learning to push through after a failure is important. Your past failures don’t define you as a failure, your past failures teach you. Every stumble was just a course correction in disguise. Instead of focusing on the failure, and potentially labeling yourself as a failure, ask yourself what that season taught you. What did it teach you about your strength, your values, and your blind spots? When you use your failures as a point of reflection, it turns into a positive and will help you to grow. The goal isn’t to forget where you have been and how you have failed, but instead to evaluate it and extract the wisdom, then keep moving!

Just like past failures don’t have to define your overarching story of life, the future is not something to worry about or fear. The future is not a threat, but instead it is a blank canvas of opportunities and you hold the brush! You are in charge of every decision moving forward, and that is empowering! Every goal you have is a possibility waiting to happen. Don’t fear failure, don’t be overwhelmed by the big picture, instead focus daily on what small steps you can take today to move towards your goal. Stop focusing on what could go wrong and instead focus on what could go right! Having a positive mindset, acting as if things will go right will help you more than you know! When you think things will go right, your brain will be looking for evidence that things will go right! There will always be uncertainty and set backs, but keep a positive mindset always looking for the possibilities.

Right now, THIS MOMENT is where lessons become decisions and opportunities become reality. You can ignore the lesson and keep falling down the slippery slope. You can tell yourself that you failed, so why keep trying. OR you can make a different decision TODAY. One honest look at where you have been and one brave step towards where you’re going is all it takes! That is the whole formula! This Thursday ask yourself: what lesson am I still carrying that I haven’t used yet? And what opportunity am I standing in front of right now? You didn’t come this far to stay stuck. You came this far to grow! So grow!