Five Steps to Getting Back on Track When You Haven’t Reached Your Goal
If you are currently finding yourself way off track when it comes to a big goal that you have set, I’ve got you!
Listen to this post while you go for a walk or fold laundry by clicking on the blogcast (I think I just made this up - its an audio version of the post - like a podcast but only on this blog) or continue on like normal if you prefer to read! Let me know in the comments which option you love most - audio or visual reading.
It seems like just yesterday you said, "This year is going to be different. I am finally going to [insert goal that has been weighing on your heart forever here]." Then you blinked and you ended up where you are now, which is not exactly what you had in mind.
Looking back, maybe you never got around to starting because you never finished researching the perfect plan or your start date kept getting pushed aside by events.
Or maybe you did start. You were full of excitement and ready to rock your plan, but then something happened. Life got in the way, and before you knew it you found yourself here. Off the tracks.
My friend, you are not alone! This happens to ALL of us.
The good news is that the path is still there! God put a calling on your heart to do this thing, and (because you’re here) I know that it is still there and it is stronger than all of the things standing in your way. You were made for more than just getting through and watching life happen. This goal is on your heart because you were meant to accomplish it.
So let's do it! We’ll work through five steps and get you back on track (and help you stay there!).
Take responsibility.
The first step is to reflect on what went well and what went not-so-well the last time we set out on this journey.
Side note: I added this step to this process after listening to Lauren Francois of the Wealthy Woman Podcast in her Unlock the Magic Within 2.0 podcast program. In episode 98 of the podcast, Lauren talks about reflecting on the prior year when setting goals for the new year, and it is SO good. After we get through this post, be sure to hop over to the Wealthy Woman podcast and give that episode a listen.
Starting with reflection helps keep us from living a Groundhog's Day life and repeating our same mistakes over and over again. Each day/week/month/year is full of small successes and lessons that build on each other and make us better from day to day. You aren’t starting over. You are starting from where you are right now, and you’ve already come a long way. Take everything you’ve learned with you as you take your next step.
When we are reflecting on what tripped us up the last time, it can be easy to look for someone to blame. But chalking your failures up to your unsupportive husband, children that need you, a demanding boss, or whatever lack of resources you're faced with only gets you exactly where you are right now.
Stop searching for somewhere to place blame, and find power in taking responsibility for where you go from here. When we are the problem, we are also the solution. Recognize and get excited about the power that you have over your own life!
Stealing a quote from Rory Vaden in his book Take the Stairs, “Don’t look at obstacles as excuses as to why you can’t do something, look at them as challenges to overcome.”
Instead of saying "I can’t because...” ask yourself “How can I do this even though...?”
There will always be someone to blame. If you're ready to stop starting over, step into the power that comes from taking responsibility.
Reflect with honesty.
The truth is your friend! Don’t hide from it. Assess your current status and consider where you want to be and what it will take to get you there.
We experience so much anxiety and guilt just in knowing that we are off track, the thought of knowing exactly how far off we are is terrifying. But ignoring it only makes it worse. Avoiding the scale doesn’t change the fact that you’ve gained weight and leaving bills unopened doesn’t mean that they don’t need to be paid.
Shine a light on the truth of what you’re dealing with so that you can make a plan to make it better.
Step on the scale. Try on the jeans. Write down all of your debts and expenses. Track your food choices for two days. Remove the emotions from these things and simply look at them as data points. In order to get anywhere you need information about where you are starting, where you want to go, and what points you will pass along the way. You're creating your map towards your goals and attaching negative emotions to where you're at now isn't going to help you.
Relax. Breathe. And simply take note of your starting point.
Get it all out of your head.
We have a tendency to get overwhelmed anytime we are looking at wanting to make a change in our lives. Our brains start on a roller coaster of all sorts of emotions with twists and turns from thoughts about where you are, what your goals are, and what all you need to get done.
Get everything out of your head with a brain dump.
Grab a pen and a few pieces of paper and jot down all of your thoughts about your starting point, your goals, and what you think you need to do reach your goal.
Some questions to help get you thinking.
What is the purpose of your life? What do you think God created you for?
What is most important to you? Would a stranger know that by looking at your life?
In what ways do you feel your life could be different?
What would it feel like to accomplish all of your goals?
Who do you need to become in order to reach your goals?
What do you need to do to become her?
Is there anyone (coach, mentor, counselor) that can help you work through the challenges you face on the way to becoming her?
Write out your daily routine.
What changes do you want to make?
Where is there room for improvement?
Where is there time for you to prioritize your goal?
Use these questions and a few quiet minutes to give yourself space to let all of your thoughts surrounding your goals surface and then write them down to give them a new home outside of your mind. This is going to help you find clarity and identify which goal you want to focus on and what you need to do to accomplish it.
Which brings us to our next step.
Break it down into baby steps.
When a goal is heavy on our hearts, we have a tendency to create big plans to make major life overhauls. We’re going to follow the diet perfectly, get a long workout in every single day, save every penny we make this month, declutter the entire house, spend every spare moment excited to work on our business and start a fresh new life.
To be clear, I am not saying that you shouldn’t have big goals. Your overall vision for your goals should be BIG. There is zero limit on what you can dream up for your life. But the steps that we take to reach those goals are tiny. Working on a massive goal gets overwhelming, while accomplishing one tiny goal at a time is exciting and motivating. Look at your overall vision through one of those giant telescopes that they use to map the stars, and then look at your next goal through one of those high-powered microscopes that they use to study the parts of an atom.
With really big visions, it can be hard to know all of the steps that are needed to make it happen. The only thing we really need to know right now is the next step that we need to take to head in the right direction.
Pull out one to three major goals from your brainstorming list. Write out the smaller milestones that lead up to that goal. Then break down the tiny actions that will allow you to achieve that first milestone. Include in these baby steps action items that help you gain certainty and confidence around committing to your purpose and the identity that you must hold in order to reach your goals. (I’ll do a separate post on the hierarchy of change. Remind me to come back and link it here once it do! :) But for now just know that you must know your purpose and work on your identity and your mindset in order to stick to the habits and small action items that will get you to your goal.)
Start with ONE small action RIGHT NOW.
Massive action is powerful, but it can also be intimidating or overwhelming. We also feel like we need to spend more time planning.
Small actions can be baby steps toward the next milestone or can be simple habits and routines that you implement and build upon. Choose something so small that you can start today and that you can fit into your life so that you can’t have any excuses or reasons to procrastinate.
The action that you take today might be a small as putting another small action on your calendar for tomorrow.
You’ve totally got this!
I hope this is helpful! If you want to dive a little deeper into sticking to your goals, you’ll definitely want to check out this post: Changing Your Life One 30-Day Challenge at a Time.
BONUS: Check out the audio version of this post up above for more examples and a BONUS TIP that you can use to get back on track toward your goals!
Links from post:
Lauren Francois Unlock the Magic Within 2.0 (Episode 98)
LIVING IN SYNC Podcast with Joelle Suess
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