10 Amazing Ways to Get Back on Track with your Goals
Do you need actionable, tangible strategies to Get Back on track with your goals? Then you’re in the right place.
So you got off-track with your goal. It happens. You forgot what goals you were chasing, you have no idea how much progress you’ve made or you were disrupted and distracted.
New Year’s resolutions come with the excitement of a fresh start and exciting possibilities. But most of us get dragged down with daily responsibilities and by the end of January, we’ve lost track of our goals.
It’s normal to take one step forward and 5 steps backward. Even the most successful people lose track of their regular habits, routines, and goals too. But the most important thing is to have the motivation to get back on track again.
It takes intentionality, commitment, patience, perseverance, and practical strategies to bounce back again once you’ve gone through failure. These 10 Amazing Ways to Get Back on Track with Your Goals will help you refocus your mind and develop the right systems to achieve success again.
Moreover, your excitement will be reignited, your drive will be stronger and you’ll move forward with more confidence in who you are and what you can achieve.
10 Amazing Ways to Get Back on track with your goals
Have you ever started something you felt compelled to do? You knew it was right, and you knew you were called to do it. But it seemed every which way you turned, there was a giant standing in your way.
It seemed like no matter what you did, there was a barrier that caught you off guard.
- Did it make you want to quit?
- Did you question if what you were doing was where you needed to be?
- Did you try to justify why you should stop trying?
- Did you make any excuses?
The good news is this is all normal and to be expected when you’re working towards achieving a goal. When you’re in pursuit of your life purpose, you will be tested. These giants that come your way are tests of your mental ability to stay the course.
A lot of people are not consistent with the actions they need to take to make changes and reach their goals and dreams. They hit a slump and gave up. How do you stay focused on your goals?
These are 10 Amazing Ways to Get Back on track with your goals so that you can make steady progress toward realizing the life you dream of. These practical strategies will help you refocus your energy and start taking action again. Let’s get started!
Reflect and Evaluate your current situation
The first thing you need to do is assess the situation you find yourself in. This is a simple exercise of reflection and evaluation of the different areas of your life where you set goals and the progress you’ve made.
You may find that when it comes to your health goal you’re on track but when it comes to your spiritual goals and relationship goals you’re now off track.
Having a realistic look at where you are helps you see the goals you need to start working on, focus on improving, and what you need to maintain. This is important for your personal growth and to increase your chances of success.
Do this with compassion and give yourself grace. You are not perfect and so you’ll slip and fall just like all human beings do. But you can always rise and try again.
“When you’re in pursuit of your purpose, you will be tested.”
Remember your Why
Are your main goals important to you? Are they truly yours or what someone else wants you to do? Or maybe that’s what everyone around you is doing. Most people are not fulfilled and yet appear successful according to those around them.
Sometimes we get off track with goals and forget them because we don’t know why we started. We don’t own the goals.
Knowing why you are going after a specific goal, helps you focus and achieve the goal. Go back to your values, purpose, and vision.
If you haven’t done so already, write down your why and place it somewhere where you can see it daily. You’ll be motivated to take consistent and inspired action toward that dream. Moreover, the end result is you’ll be truly fulfilled too.
Set clear goals
The next step you need to take if you haven’t done so already is to ensure that your goals are clear. Vague goals are easy to forget. A list of goals with no start time and end date for achieving them is also easy to lose sight of.
The key is to set SMART goals. This is an abbreviation for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-based goals. Your chances of success increase when you do this.
These big goals will then need to be broken down into an action plan or to-do list. These are the smaller steps that you can take daily and weekly to achieve your goals and dreams.
Have a visual representation of your goals
Our goals often fall off track because we forget what they are or we tell ourselves that we’ll do it later but we all know that later never comes.
By the end of January, you forget that weight loss was on your plan for the year. The old saying “out of sight, out of mind” is true. Your goals need to be front and center in your mind so that you keep having the drive to stick with them.
These daily reminders are powerful as they keep your brain thinking about your vision and how you’ll get there. They also ensure that you keep being focused on your goals and can remove distractions from your life.
There are different ways to keep your goal visible. You can use a physical vision board you put on your wall or make one online and then save it as a screen saver on your computer or smartphone.
A small whiteboard is also a great way to write your smaller daily or weekly goals as reminders to act on them.
Mindset Matters to Get Back on track with your goals
Isn’t it funny how, when you begin a new journey, a bump always seems to lie in the middle of the road? It makes you wonder if you’re even going the right way — maybe you should turn around — but, initially, you were pretty sure you were headed in the right direction.
Fear of the unknown, self-doubt, limiting beliefs, and negative thoughts will make you lose track of your main goals.
When you look at social media, you may feel like you are behind compared to your peers and you’ve achieved less. Worse still, you may feel like a failure and start saying negative things about yourself.
This is simply not true. Your actions and words have power. It’s important to reframe the thoughts that are keeping you stuck and unable to move forward.
Avoid this comparison trap which keeps you discouraged and dissatisfied. You need to shift your mindset and look at things from a different perspective.
The truth is that as long as you’re alive you can always try again, this time with more insight, wisdom, and experience.
God always gives us a second chance and a third and fourth when we need it. Believe who He says you are and what he says you can do.
Choose to break the cycle of negativity that’s holding you back and take steps to learn from your experiences, plan, work hard, grow, and focus on your goals.
Don’t be stuck in that comfort zone, choose to move forward towards your goals and run the race that’s ahead of you.
If you’re following your passion and purpose you will be tested. Success doesn’t come easily. There’s always a struggle to overcome.
When you’re at the point of giving up, be willing to persevere just a bit longer because your breakthrough is right there waiting for you. Pass your test!
“Supposing you have tried and failed again and again. You may have a fresh start any moment you choose, for this thing we call ‘failure’ is not the falling down, but the staying down.”
— Mary Pickford
Let go of the all-or-nothing mindset
There’s no such thing as starting once you’re strong enough, rich enough, or have enough experience, etc. We all start on a blank slate but it’s the will to start anyway and figure everything else along the way.
Once you start, you may fall off the wagon for a day, week, or even months. Just because you fail to follow your exercise routine for a week doesn’t mean you must quit altogether.
Let go of this all-or-nothing mindset. This belief that if you don’t do it perfectly, it’s not worth doing at all will keep you stuck. Life is messy. It’s full of ups and downs, disruptions and roadblocks.
Start small if you have to. If you have a health goal where you want to eat more nutritious and balanced meals, start with having a meal plan just for the morning. Then you build on it for the rest of the day.
If you miss it for one day, it doesn’t make you a failure and doesn’t mean you’ll always be out of shape.
It’s better to take small steps toward your goals and dreams than no steps at all. Good habits are built gradually. Start slow and with much time, focus, and commitment you’ll get better along the way.
“For though the righteous fall seven times, they rise again, but the wicked stumble when calamity strikes.”
Proverbs 24:16 NIV
Develop Small Daily Habits and Routines
Small daily habits and routines are important in making progress toward your goals. These behaviors ensure you work on your goals daily and keep them in front of you.
They help you take consistent action and start gaining momentum toward your dreams. Remember clarity comes from execution not from staying in your comfort zone. Over time, you’ll see the positive changes daily actions can make.
If your goal is to reduce stress and improve your mental health, you may want to start the habit of journaling daily or practicing gratitude. To build a habit, start small and be consistent.
Be patient and persevere even if you miss a day or two. Reminders like sticky notes and screen savers on your phone might be great ways to help you stay on track. In the end, these powerful actions will become like second nature to you.
To take action, evaluate the habits you’re practicing now. What are they? Are they moving you closer or further away from your dreams? Study the habits of successful people and be inspired to start new habits and routines that will help you crush your goals.
Manage your Time and Eliminate Distractions
There are so many distractions that can lead you to slip off and lose sight of your goals and dreams. It could be the phone ringing, an email or social media notification, or a last-minute lunch invitation.
Unless you learn to manage your time and limit distractions you will struggle to stick to your goals.
There are different ways to manage your time. Set a block of time to commit and dedicate yourself to your goals. Lock your door and turn off your phone or even your internet connection if you have to. Your daily to-do list should be categorized into must-do, should-do, and nice-to-do tasks.
Schedule breaks and downtime as well because your body needs rest. This allows you to focus more, reduces burnout, and improves your productivity and effectiveness.
Remember that time is one of the more precious and limited resources we have. So manage it effectively, eliminate distractions and the end result is you’ll be able to take control of your life.
Seek Accountability and Support
Sharing your big goals with someone you trust is a great way to commit to them and increase your chances of following through. An accountability partner can be a coach, spouse, friend, close family member, or colleague who provides guidance, support, and encouragement.
It’s when you don’t share your goals with anyone that you go back to old habits and routines, slow down on your progress, and at times miss your goal altogether.
Human beings are built for community. Your goals are personal but your journey doesn’t have to be taken alone. You can join a real-life or online community of people such as the Red Hot Accountability Club for support in getting your life back on track.
When others believe in your potential and want you to succeed, it pushes you to work harder and do your best. Ultimately, it makes the journey toward your goals more enjoyable.
Celebrate Your Progress
Are you measuring the progress you’re making toward your goals? You may be thinking you’re way off-track with your goals and yet when you check you’ll be surprised with the steady progress you’ve made.
Take time to celebrate your milestones. Reward yourself for the hard work you’ve put in already. Celebrate the small and big milestones because they all contribute towards crushing your goals.
Sometimes we start new habits or overcome big obstacles and never take the time to appreciate those accomplishments. Progress might be slow and it’s not always linear. Treat yourself to something special or indulge in your favorite activity.
This simple act motivates and encourages you to keep moving forward.
I’ve had to Get Back on Track with my Goals
A few years ago, I seriously began writing my first book, Mind Over Marathon. I knew then that it was important, and I felt called to do it. But even though I knew this, I can’t tell you how many roadblocks seemed to get in the way of me running my course.
I doubted my abilities and had major writer’s block. I even used my kids as an excuse. No matter what I tried, I couldn’t seem to get out of my funk.
There were times I would get in the flow and write a ton, but then the same thing would happen, a giant would appear, and I would back down, and there it would sit for months at a time.
It’s funny because my book is all about mental toughness, yet I seemed to be failing in that area because doubt after doubt kept flooding in and making me back down.
It only seems appropriate that my mentality would be tested, after all, I am a mental training coach! Could I withstand the test? Could I keep positive in the trials?
Then, I slipped on an ice patch while running and seriously broke my ankle. Another test! What would I do? Would I cave and lose my toughness, or would I pick myself up, stay positive through the recovery, and pass the test?
Dealing with an injury that sidelined me from doing something I love was not easy. It was downright terrible at times. I am used to working out six days a week, and I went down to ZERO!
I’ve watched my running buddies enjoy their workouts together and had to keep myself in check from letting jealousy rage in my spirit.
Because was my right ankle that I hurt, I couldn’t drive and do many other things on my own. Everything took twice as long to do because I moved much slower. My own strength wouldn’t get me through, and I couldn’t rely on it.
These are the realities of injury. These are the realities when we face our giants, they are sometimes too powerful to overcome on our own. Are we willing to drop our egos and ask for help? Are we willing to bring someone alongside us?
“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.”
— James 1:2-3
Recognizing that it’s a test can make it easier to get through. Usually, the more you’re tested, the closer you are to the finish. It’s too bad many drop out before they get there because their giants seem impossible to overpower.
When you run a marathon, your biggest test comes between miles 20-26. Runners usually train up to about 20 miles, sometimes more or less, but right around there.
They know they are physically ready to hit that mark. But on race day, the dreaded “wall” usually hits around that point, and even though there is some physical that plays out into that, it’s the mental toughness that’s being tested.
Miles 20-26 are run with all heart. You pass the test when you cross the finish line. The same thing is true in life. It takes heart and guts to get past our giants, but we pass the test when we get on the other side of them.
Do you ever feel like you set goals, take two steps forward then take ten steps backward? Have you been distracted or disrupted from achieving your goals? Or maybe you forgot the commitment you made as part of your New Year’s Resolutions?
The truth is most of us have been there even then most successful people you know. It takes intentionality, commitment, patience, perseverance, and practical strategies to bounce back again and focus on your goals.
The 10 Amazing Ways to Get Back on Track with Your Goals include evaluating your current situation, remembering your why, setting clear goals, and having a visual representation of your goals. You also need to let go of the all-or-nothing mindset, shift your mindset, develop daily habits, manage your time, seek accountability, and celebrate your progress.
When you do these action steps your excitement, drive, and motivation will increase and you’ll confidently increase your chances of success and crushing your goals.
Remember, you are a winner. Just run YOUR race!
Red Hot Accountability Club
You have your goals in front of you! You may even have a good strategic plan to follow to achieve them! But you’re feeling a little lonely in the online space and sick of the hustle culture telling you to do more.
If so, then the Red Hot Accountability Club might be just what you need!
A safe space. A faith space. A friendly space. A forward momentum space.
Find community and coaching support inside the group coaching membership so you can lean on others and be inspired to continue working on your goals in the season you’re in with the capacity you have – ditching the stress and hustle altogether! (and ditching social media for business if you want to!)
You CAN work your goals into your lifestyle without sacrificing everything to achieve them.
If you are looking for a positive online community and group coaching experience, come hang out with us in the Red Hot Accountability Club!
