7 Tips to Help You Navigate “Life” Happening to Your Goals & Plans
Setting goals and creating plans to achieve them feels amazing. There is a strong sense of possibility and anticipation that comes at the beginning of anything new.
Sometimes things will go according to plans with a few curve balls thrown in and a little adjustment is needed to get to the finish line. And then there are times when “life” happens and things are stopped for a time or derailed completely.
It’s challenging when you are stopped or derailed because that sense of possibility and anticipation can become disappointment and failure if you aren’t conscious of the thoughts in your mind.
This week I found myself in a stopped place. “Life” showed up in the form of shingles. While I’ve never had them before I’ve heard about the bad experiences that other people have had. It’s something that requires a lot of attention and care to deal with because of the pain that comes along with them. It’s been challenging because I haven’t been able to make much progress on what I’ve needed to do this week and it won’t be going away anytime soon.
I wanted to share some things that I’ve found helpful in the past and am employing currently as I’m navigating shingles and the pause to a lot of my plans.
Tips for navigating when “life” happens and impacts your goals/plans…
1 - accept that something is happening and your goals may not be the most important priority in consideration of what’s come up
Right now my priority is my health (physical and mental). My goals and dreams are important, but my capacity to go after those things are diminished and I need to take care of myself first so I can go after the big things I want from a place of strength and wellness.
What is your current priority where you’re at?
2 - remember that a slowdown or pause isn’t a sign that you’re failing or your goal won't happen
It’s tempting to think that little or no progress means the goal won’t happen. But that simply isn’t true. Priorities can shift in different seasons (especially unexpected ones). As long as something remains a true priority and you hold onto that it will fall into place.
3 - take inventory of what you can do where you’re at and do that
Progress doesn’t always look like the planned path and there are things we can do if we look for it. Any progress will help keep your goal moving forward. And giving your goals flexibility might actually open up possibilities to move forward right where you’re at.
4 - break things down into micro-tasks that are easy to accomplish
When “life” is happening, one of the biggest things I’ve found that keeps me from making progress is not knowing what to do everything seems too big to accomplish. Even if you have a priority list of goals, those goals can feel too big if there are other things on your mind. Focus could be in short supply or you may not have big chunks of time. So mico tasks are a great way to keep moving forward in small steps.
5 - support yourself to thrive at this moment
One of the biggest gifts you can give yourself is to know that you and your well-being matter and to give yourself what you need to thrive no matter what’s going on. Taking inventory of what you need and what’s possible is important to help you navigate “life” interrupting your goals.
6 - connect to times in the past when you experienced something interrupting your plans that worked out in the end
The “messy middle” is a challenging place that can feel devoid of hope and life. Connecting to similar experiences in our life or stories of others where it was overcome can help us in those challenging places. This isn’t escaping the moment. This is bringing in joy, hope, and possibility from other moments to the present to help you have the strength to be here and move forward.
7- give yourself grace and don’t get caught up in negative self talk over what isn’t happening
Beating yourself up is a waste of time and will only make this time harder. It will also stifle any forward movement that might have been possible. Make sure you’re being kind to yourself no matter what you’re facing. You are a strong and capable human that will find the path through “life” and get back on track and bring your beautiful goals to life!
So while things are slowed down while I have shingles I will be showing up where I can. I’ll also be using these things to help me navigate to the other side of this messy middle place.
I hope these tips can serve as a springboard for navigating whatever “life” you might be experiencing currently!
If you have some tips to share around this topic (or in dealing with shingles) I would love to hear from you in the comments below or through email (hello@latishaleppert.com).