Getting back on track with our goals becomes much easier if we first accept the natural flow of life. Ups and downs naturally occur, and it’s okay.
All we need is a gentle nudge to get back on track with our dreams and intentions. Real change occurs when we finally realize this, and the world becomes your oyster.
Does this sound like you? You’ve derived a plan; you’re pumped and ready to go.
On your mark, get set, attack!
You get the ball rolling as planned. You’re off to a great start, and everything looks promising. Your confidence grows, you puff up your chest, and your head starts to swell a little: I’ve got this!
Then life sort of happens. Things get in the way. The amount of social functions this week is unbelievable. You get sick. You get caught up at work; there are so many deadlines.
So you decide to skip one day. It won’t hurt, you think. Another day, then another day goes by. Pretty soon, it’ll be two months before you realize you’ve fallen off track.
Bummer.
I know. It sucks.
But don’t worry. Setbacks are inevitable. It happens to the best of us.
Micheal Hyatt, the author of Best Year Ever (audible), calls this the messy middle. The middle is always messy. It’s how we get back on track with our goals that matter.
So let me show you how to press the reset button and get you back on track with your goals.
Get Back on Track Tip 1: Dive Right Back In
I’ve learned throughout the years that the extra emotional baggage of self-criticism, dwelling, and self-hatred DOES NOT HELP. It only perpetuates the problem and holds you back from getting what you want.
Trust me; this comes from a person with a strong propensity for rumination.
Imagine this:
Your house sets on fire. The fireman comes and knocks on your door. Instead of putting out the fire with their hose and then doing a search for the cause of the fire, they ask you, “Why did this fire happen?”
Not only do they ask you once, but they ask forty-seven times. They look at you in disgust and begin to blame you, point fingers, and scream at you. You are such a $#@*&!!!! How could you let this happen?!
They are making matters worse. The fireman’s job is to put out the fire and find the fire’s root cause.
If you want to do the real work of achieving your goal, you have to push past the negative self-talk and decide that your goal is more important than the negative chatter.
Stewing in your failures and entertaining the negative self-talk only blocks you from the most critical thing— solving the problem and getting back on track.
Realize that shit happens, forgive yourself, and move on. In the grand scheme of things, you realize that the goal you are working on is not life or death. No one is going to die. Pick yourself up and jump right back in.
Get Back on Track Tip 2: Recommit to Your Goal
Sometimes, the solution is as easy as recommitting to your goal.
Bring it back to the forefront of your mind and find ways to make your goal more of a priority than before.
An easy way to do this is by writing your goals down in your journal every morning. When I have time in the evenings, I also read my goals aloud before bed. You can also do guided meditations in the evenings, which helps to visualize the process and outcome.
Take this time to reconnect with your WHY. Perhaps your WHY isn’t strong enough, or maybe you don’t even have a WHY. Go in and repair your WHY.
Get Back on Track Tip 3: Analyze the Root Cause
Like the fireman example above, you want to go into the house, not berating yourself but becoming solution-oriented and finding the root cause.
Trust me. The Universe won’t give you an award for being a bully to yourself. You’re only hurting yourself.
Get out a sheet of paper and start asking yourself the right questions.
Tony Robbins says:
“It’s not that we don’t know the right answers; it’s just that we don’t ask the right questions.”
He also has an effective brainstorming technique that helps you ask the right questions. He calls it: question burst. Take out a sheet of paper and set the timer for four minutes. Then, jot down any questions that help you analyze the root cause.
Or perhaps during this process, you realize you don’t want the goal after all. You decide you’ll abandon the goal altogether. You’re the boss.
Get Back on Track Tip 4: Set up Systems and Boundaries
Once you’ve figured out the root cause of your problem, now it’s time to set systems and boundaries to prepare for the future.
Create a plan of action moving forward. Will you track your goals and habits to ensure you remain proactive in the process? Do you need to switch your workouts from evenings to mornings to combat the temptation of skipping? Do you need to find an accountability buddy?
Give yourself room to make mistakes and anticipate your obstacles. Micheal Hyatt calls it anticipating your activation triggers.
He gives a great example: the lights in his office have a timer that automatically turns off at 5:30 pm.
That way, he knows to wrap up his workday and leave at 6 pm. I’m not suggesting that you reprogram your electrical system, but I want to illustrate the endless possibilities of ways you can set yourself up for success.
Take Away
Now that you know, falling off track is a part of the messy middle. It happens to the best of us. You no longer need to stew in filthy self-criticism.
When you fall off track, all you need to do is dive right back in, recommit to your goals and your WHY, analyze the root cause, and set up systems and boundaries to prevent you from falling off track in the future.
Pretty soon, you’ll be a pro at getting back on track with your life and goals. The time it takes you to get back on track will become shorter and shorter, and bouncing back will be a walk in the park. So bye now. Good luck, and have fun!