How to Get Back on Track When You Don’t Reach Goals

Oh my goodness beautiful souls, can you believe it? It is already December 1st! Happy December! Happy holidays! It is starting to feel like Christmas and it’s a perfect time to do those goal settings for the coming year, or even for the next 3 years. 

However, this is also a time where you might find yourself in a situation where you realize you have not accomplished some of the things you set yourself to do this year, or you find yourself off-target. Remember it’s not time to beat yourself up, but instead, it is time to simply get back on track. 

I know it can be frustrating to think about how motivated you were in January but then, life happens and for whatever reason, you fell off track and were unable to reach your goals, just remember that life happens to all of us and you are not alone. 

The most important thing is to always remember that although you failed to reach your goal, you’re not a failure yourself. Don’t take anything personally. Instead, use this time as an opportunity to recalibrate and consider what you can do immediately going forward because there is still one month time. 

Sometimes, the reason for falling off-track has to do with motivation. It’s nearly impossible to maintain the same level of motivation you had in January in July, or for some even in February. Over time, motivation wears off until you’ve forgotten why you were so motivated in the first place. 

Zig Ziglar said, “People often say that motivation doesn’t last. Well, neither does bathing – that’s why we recommend it daily.” 

Are you reviewing your goals and targets regularly? Are you thinking about your goals and targets daily? Make sure you can remember what you’re even shooting for. 

Also, reconnect as often as possible with your Why, knowing your why will give you the surge of motivation you need to continue on the path to reaching your goals. 

Some good questions to ask yourself are:

Were you close to achieving your goal? 

Being very close or miles off would lead to completely different approaches on how to move forward. 

Why did you fall short? 

Was it losing motivation? Losing focus? Or did you realize it wasn’t a true priority. Because we always have time for our true priorities, even in times of crises. 

Could you have done something differently? 

So all these questions will help you assess what happened, and this assessment is the first step to getting back on track. 

Then you can brainstorm new approaches or set new deadlines. Goals will always be goals unless you create an action plan. So make sure you actually have an action plan and take immediate action, even if that means messy actions.

Another question to ask yourself is: 

Do I have all the resources I need to accomplish this goal? 

That could lead to purchasing a course or finding a coach who has already accomplished your goal so that you will have more of a guarantee to hit that goal as well. 

If something isn’t working in your life or business right now, waiting is not going to make it better. Pull the bandage off and end whatever isn’t working. It’s never too late to turn the tide and there is no way that waiting a month or waiting until next year will make things better. 

Maybe we can’t be bullseye every single time, but that’s why it’s still important to have a target, at least you will know what you’re shooting for, where you need to be shooting at and trust me consistency in shooting for that target will pay off. 

I’m gonna end this episode with one of my favorite quotes by Will Rogers “even if you are on the right track, you’ll get run over if you just sit there” So get back on track, and let’s move it. 

Connect with Lucy 

Inbal Claudio was born in Israel, and aside from a 4-year stint in North Carolina has spent the majority of her life in Southern California where she currently lives with her husband and 2 little daughters.

As a candle maker, turned tech founder, her passion for networking with women entrepreneurs has led her to create Like Minded Collective, a social media platform for dreamers, creators and female founders. Her mission is to make sure every single female founder, no matter what stage of business they’re in, know how incredible they are!

Things you will learn in this episode:

• What are some tips for brands and influencers to find collaborations?
• Building and launching a business during COVID
• What has been the hardest part about being a non-technical founder of a tech platform?
• What are your best tips for networking and building genuine connections in business?
• What are a few tips for aspiring entrepreneurs and influencers?
• And so much more…

Dr. Michelle Maidenburg has over 30 years of clinical experience with her private practice in New York. She is a Certified Group Therapist, TEDx Speaker and author of her newest book “ACE Your Life” Unleash Your Self Best and Live the Life You Want.

She maintains a private practice in Harrison, NY. She is the Co-Founder and Clinical Director of “Thru My Eyes”, a nonprofit 501c3 organization that offers free clinically guided videotaping to chronically medically ill individuals who want to leave video legacies for their children and loved ones. She is also adjunct faculty at New York University (NYU) and teach a graduate course in Mindfulness Practice.

She is a Board of Directors member at The Boys & Girls in Mount Vernon. She is a member of the American Red Cross Crisis Team and serve on the Board of Directors of the Westchester Trauma Network (WTN) in Westchester NY.

She is a Certified Group Therapist through the American Group Psychotherapy Association and a Diplomate and certified member of the Academy of Cognitive Therapy. She has advanced training in Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Structural Family Therapy, Mindfulness, and am a Level II trained Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing (EMDR) therapist.

She is the author of the book “Free Your Child From Overeating” 53 Mind-Body Strategies For Lifelong Health and new book “ACE Your Life” Unleash Your Self Best and Live the Life You Want. She is a blogger for Psychology Today (962k reads) and recently did a TED Talk on “Circumventing Emotional Avoidance.” She has been featured in more than 150 national and international media including The New York Times, Cosmopolitan, Fitness, Ladies Home Journal, Men’s Health, and Forbes.

She is a contributing editor of GROUP, the journal of the Eastern Group Psychotherapy Society. She is a consultant and trainer on a variety of mental health and health related topics and is dedicated and invested in health and mental health advocacy.

Things you will learn in this episode:

• What is emotional avoidance and how does it show up in our thinking and decision making?
• What skills and steps to take to manage or cope with intense negative or uncomfortable emotions to avoid acting out behaviors.
• What is a healthy way to engage with painful experiences and emotions when we encounter them so we can build better relationships?
• What skills and steps do we need to take when managing or coping with negative and uncomfortable emotions so we avoid acting out (e.g., angry outbursts, overeating, etc.)?
• And so much more…

Patty Buccellato, Certified Image Coach, makes it her mission to bring clients to just that place. She guides high-visibility women (think: “Zoom meetings”) on a path to discover their own personal architecture, helping them use this natural design structure in combination with their strengths, character, and values, to achieve their greatest goals.

With more than 25 years in the image industry, Patty is internationally recognized as a Certified Professional Member of the Association of Image Consultants International (AICI), a designation earned by only a handful of consultants around the globe.

Things you will learn in this episode:

• how not every great outfit makes a great choice for Zoom 
• one thing never to wear in front of the camera lens.
• What is the one style tool that can visually erase years from a woman’s apparent age, without need to go under the knife or laser?
• When does it make sense to return to closet ground zero and build a wardrobe from scratch?
• And so much more…

Celebrating Small Wins

Today I wanted to talk about the importance of celebrating your wins, even the smallest wins you don’t think it’s worth celebrating. Celebrate them because celebrating small wins triggers feelings of pride, increased confidence, motivation and joy. This helps to keep you working towards your next small steps, and eventually your overall goals. 

“The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” — Lao Tzu

Society brainwashes us about overnight success stories and flashy accomplishments, where in reality, small wins are the biggest building block of your success and happiness in life. 

Our younger selves are often socially conditioned to to rank small or simple wins as not impactful or not as important as bigger wins. But the reality is that small wins matter even more than you’d actually think.

A daily routine of mine is journaling my gratitudes. But things got way more interesting when I added these journal entries with daily wins. Because these daily wins remind you of your daily progress and knowing that you’ve made progress will boost your confidence to take the next step towards your bigger goals. Studies have shown in research of organizations who have employees simply recording progress in some way helped them boost self-confidence and this upgraded confidence can be put to use toward future successes because capturing these small wins every day enhances a worker’s motivation. If you want more details on this you can Google Harvard study celebrating small wins. 

Earlier I mentioned feeling a sense of pride and joy when we record these wins. There is actually science behind this thought process too. When you accomplish something, it activates the reward center of our brains, the neurochemical dopamine is released and energizes us with feel-good emotions and helps us experience the feeling of being rewarded, and can hook you on wanting to achieve even more so that you can feel this emotion again. 

Celebrating small wins gives you clarity. So often we lose sight of our direction and why, but recording these small wins down will help you see that clarity again, what it is that you’re working towards and why you started in the first place. Success loves speed and success loves celebrations. 

So what are some small wins that are often overlooked?

• Learned something new.
• Tried something new.
• Completed everything according to your schedules.
• Stepped outside your comfort zone.
• Found an opportunity to be creative.
• Made fast decisions
• Trusted your intuition or followed your gut.
• Made all meetings today on time.
• Had a great idea.
• Hit inbox zero.
• Performed a random act of kindness.
• Completed self-care.
• Ate a nutritious meal.
• Read for 10 minutes.
• Didn’t hit snooze or woke up before the alarm clock.
• Practiced boundaries and said “no” to something you usually can’t refuse
• Decluttered your space.
• Spent time with family.
• Felt productive.
• Stuck to a routine.
• Avoided distractions or procrastination.
• Made your bed.
• Practiced mindfulness
• Got to the gym or got some exercise done at home.
• Asked for help when you needed it.
• Meditated or did breathworks
• Gained one extra follower on Social media

I challenge you to celebrate your wins right now on social, post on IG or elsewhere and tag me at @mslucyliu . 

Remember, nothing is too small to record down and celebrate and it’s not bragging if it’s the truth. Keep celebrating, and your wins will repeat and expand.

Cheers to your celebration and evolution.