Failing Forward

 Hello Fit Fam,

Let's talk about Failure! As I wind down the 2024 year and look back I am filled with many emotions. This year was filled with so many big changes for me. Stability felt like such a foreign concept. I kept getting excited and making big plans and then some unexpected circumstance derailed me from my path. They weren't always bad circumstances but they were unseen. I had to pivot, make a new game plan, and set my sights on something I wasn't working towards. It has been a year of adapting to change and I can say looking back that all of the ups and downs have been worth it!

Going all the way back to January I was about to leave a job that brought me back into the workforce after a short stay-at-home stint with my kid. I love to work and always wanted to go back to work, as I find that being out of the house in the workforce is good for my mental health! I worked that job in fitness equipment sales for about a year. It was good and exposed me to a whole new side of fitness which has been my degrees, education, certifications, and all I have known. I did want to move into something that suited my skills better, sales just isn't my passion. 

I was approached by a recruiter and landed what I thought was my dream job. And honestly, it was my dream job for about 7 months. I got to meet amazing people, share a very cool concept in fitness technology, and share this amazing product with clients whose lives were being changed for the better. Then I was let go. Yes, I said it, let go. I have had a hard time accepting that through the second half of this year. I have never failed a job before. Although being let go sent me in a good direction and landed me where I am now it doesn't change the fact that I failed at something I thought was going to be a long-term position and the best possible fit for me and my future career.

It turned out to be a blessing in disguise. After a few months of searching and applying to new jobs in both fitness and eventually making the choice to let go of fitness, in a full-time capacity. I landed at a digital marketing company where I am thriving. I love what I am doing, what I am learning, and how I still get to help people which brings me joy. I will continue to build my fitness presence online in my spare time (like I have so much of that haha). 

I could not be happier about the journey this very big failure has taken me on. I hit lows and had to pick myself back up but I learned more than I could ever imagine. I also am finally able to accept what has happened and admit to myself there was a failure. I could have blamed others, the company that let me go, the economy, or anyone else but myself. However, I am choosing to acknowledge this failure is my own. I am learning from what led me to my failures and working to improve for the future. I like to call this term "Failing Forward". I am not letting it define me or hold me back but instead motivating me to move forward to something better!

So if you are in search of a better you, the next opportunity, or just to move forward; Keep your head up and don't give up on yourself. You have got this!

Keep Calm and Exercise On

~ Liz ~