Is It Time to Get Back on Track — or Choose a Different One?
“Where did the time go?”
I’ve been hearing some version of that question from clients and people in my life lately. And I’ve said to myself, “Somehow, we’re already in August, and the year is more than halfway over.”
When I think about that, I’m less interested in how quickly the year has gone and more interested in another question: Am I doing the things I said that mattered to me this year?
That’s a different question. And it requires some honesty. In reviewing my goals from the beginning of the year, I noticed that a few deadlines have come – and gone.
At the beginning of the year, many of us set goals. We made plans. We identified things we wanted to accomplish—personally, professionally, or both. Some of those goals may be right in front of you every day. Others may be sitting in a notebook, buried in a file on your computer, or written on a piece of paper you haven’t looked at since earlier this year.
No judgment here if that is the case. Life happens.
But August seems like a pretty good time to pull those goals back out and take inventory.
Take Inventory
Before you immediately label yourself “on track” or “off track,” take a moment to look at what has actually happened. What have you accomplished? Where have you made progress? What have you learned? Where have you gotten stuck? What have you been avoiding? And what has changed since you set the goal?
Most importantly, ask yourself: Does this still matter to me?
That may be the most important question of all. Because sometimes the problem isn’t that we’ve failed to achieve a goal. Sometimes the goal simply doesn’t fit in your business or your life anymore.
Life has a way of taking us on the scenic route. Priorities change. Businesses change. Relationships change. Opportunities emerge. Circumstances we couldn’t have anticipated in January show up in March, May, or July. Something that seemed incredibly important at the beginning of the year may look very different today.
That doesn’t necessarily mean you failed. It may simply mean you have new information.
For each goal that isn’t where you expected it to be, ask yourself:
What has kept me from making progress?
Is this goal still a priority?
Does the timeline need to change—or does my commitment need to change?
What’s one step I can take this week to get back on track?
Is this still relevant to where I am today?
These questions were at the heart of my original thinking about a midyear—or, in this case, slightly-past-midyear—check-in. But asking the questions is only part of the exercise. The harder part is being willing to listen to your answers.
Recommit—or Let It Go
There’s an interesting thing we humans do once we’ve declared a goal. We can become strangely attached to it. I said I was going to do this. I put it on my list. I told other people. I should finish what I started.
But just because you wrote something down in December doesn’t mean you have to force it to work in August. There is a difference between quitting because something is difficult and consciously choosing a different direction because the goal no longer serves you or where you’re going.
That distinction requires honesty.
If the goal still matters, recommit. Rather than spending energy beating yourself up about what you haven’t accomplished, decide what you’re going to do next. Put a date on it. Identify the next action. Ask for help if you need it. Then get moving.
But if the goal no longer matters, give yourself permission to let it go. You don’t get extra points for accomplishing something that no longer belongs on your list.
Give Yourself Grace
Life has a way of taking us on scenic routes sometimes, and when it does, I believe accountability and grace can coexist.
Giving yourself grace starts with taking an honest look at what happened. You can acknowledge missed commitments, take responsibility, and still give yourself room to move forward without getting stuck in disappointment or self-criticism.
You can acknowledge that you didn’t do something you said you would do and still treat yourself with kindness. You can say, I didn’t do this. I need to understand why. And now I get to decide what I’m going to do about it.
If you need a little more encouragement on this topic, I encourage you to read my May blog here.
There are still several months left in the year—plenty of time to make meaningful progress on something that matters. So, pull out the goals you made at the beginning of the year and take another look. Celebrate what you’ve accomplished. Get curious about what you haven’t. And be willing to change something if what you wanted eight months ago is no longer what you want today.
Then ask yourself one final question:
Do I need to get back on track—or is it time to choose a different one?
If it still matters, recommit.
If it doesn’t, let it go.
Either way, make the decision that’s right for you and finish the year strong.
