Knocked Off Course? Start Here.
You WILL get knocked off course. The question isn’t whether it happens- it’s how long you’ll stay down once the initial optimism and commitment have worn off.
- Acknowledge it- say it out loud. No drama, no speech. Just the truth of your setback. But down is not out.
- Skip the guilt spiral. Beating yourself up doesn’t get you back on track- it just burns the energy you need to GET back on track.
- Figure out what knocked you off track. Was it what you had predicted would derail you? Or was it something new? Either way, write it down.
- Break your goal into smaller pieces. If your action step was a 30-minute walk, do 10 minutes today. Smaller is fine. Doing nothing is a problem.
- Pick a day and a time to continue your efforts. Today would be better, tomorrow at the latest- not “soon.”
- Tell your support person/team- the one(s) who check in on you. (And if you don’t have anyone yet… we should definitely talk.)
- Look at your next steps again. If something needs adjusting, adjust it. Don’t quit- pay attention, reassess, then continue.
Getting back on track isn’t a one-time thing. You’ll do this more than once. That’s not failure- that’s how it works for all of us.