When I set out to share a Dry January month’s worth of daily lessons, I was anticipating a friction-free future.
On 1 January, I had the beginnings of an outline in place, 30+ lessons I had learned when I started in 2018 and an interruption-free plan for the month ahead.
I didn’t factor in unexpected delays, like a throat infection I inherited a few days ago.
As a result, laid up in bed on cold and flu tablets, I missed Days 7 and 8. Waking this morning, I felt tremendously guilty for having fallen at the first hurdle within a week.
But that’s the thing about any journey, delays are often encountered, derailing you, disrupting the road ahead. Delays are often inevitable.
Perhaps you hit Day 6 and you gave in to temptation. Perhaps, despite the best of your intentions, real life got in the way.
Forgive yourself.
You’re only human and humans are frail machines. We’re susceptible to intrusive thoughts, interrupting us.
I missed Days 7 and 8. The easiest route forwards would be to give up, throw in the towel. But my journey doesn’t end here.
Your journey – if you’ve hit an unexpected delay – doesn’t have to end here, either. Start again. Use the lessons you’ve learned to help you on your journey, second time around.
Don’t give up.
Stay positive and, as we say at r/stopdrinking: I will not drink with you today.
—Chris
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