Oversights, mishaps, and the occasional fall are an inevitable fact of life; we learn to take the tumbles without growing disheartened. Make room instead for maximum positivity.
Sometimes a person can succeed in kedusha matters for an extended period. Happily he thanks Hashem for his having attained a respectable level. But then one day - oops! A slip-up.
Let him not think for even a moment that all his hard work has gone down the drain, unable to help him in the future. Perhaps the particular time, place, or circumstance of his situation made it extra heavy going. Not every round is going to be as tough as this. So just stay right there on your warpath, don’t give up the fight, and your past successes will trail plenty of future successes.
The above holds true even in a case where he knowingly compromised on principles. Perhaps he had hit a low, and on this occasion things were loaded against him. Finding himself assailed by an almost irresistible urge, he felt he couldn’t muster the energy to stand firm. Though the mitigating conditions do not exempt him from the Torah’s demands, nor do they exonerate him entirely, nevertheless, there is an element of oneis (beyond one’s control), and Heaven will reckon it less severely. Certainly a single unhappy outcome can not infer a no-progress report.
Another point to bear in mind is that even where a person may have slacked off to a certain degree, it in no way renders the earlier good work insincere or hypocritical. When things are really not going too well, we need to dig up some consolation from knowing that, even after some wrong turns, we are still persistently heading in the right direction. At times that’s the most important task.
Self-blame and a resulting negative self-image can cause us to feel that we can’t succeed, but in truth, falls and tumbles are part of the upward climb. Acceptance of ourselves and just being happy for who we are, is a valuable pick-me-up.
Slowly but surely is the way to win the race. Soon after the Chazon Ish, ztz״l, had suffered a heart attack, he felt he was ready to venture out on a short walk. Holding Reb Nissim Karelitz, shlita, by the arm, they advanced very slowly. Upon arrival at his destination he said cheerfully, ״I took small steps but kept on going, and as you see I made it!