Nothing feels better than to make progress on a goal you have and knowing you did it in spite of the circumstances that came up along the way. Making a plan and knowing the steps you need to take to accomplish a goal is paramount in order to have success to meet that goal. Having self-discipline, focus, accountability, and scheduled time is great to help you achieve that success. What do you do with the unexpected circumstances that come up along the way? Do you allow it to knock you off your plan and the progress you are making?
I have mentioned before that my family has a few health issues that we have to work around on a regular basis. My husband has Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and things can change drastically for us in our household depending on how he is doing from day to day. The month of November and December were hectic in our home and not due to the holidays but due to health issues for him. Lots of doctor visits, tests, follow-ups, physical therapy and chiropractor visits were all added to a busy time of year.
The schedule that I had created for myself to work on my own goals was interrupted drastically during that time. I had to learn to adapt to these circumstances. January has continued more of the same and though I had some huge deadlines I have had to adapt them to manage these issues going on right now. I also had to remind myself that this season in our lives is temporary. Soon I would be able to focus more on my own goals, like I was doing before. Does that mean I stopped doing anything, of course, not.
Here are a few things to do or evaluate through these temporary seasons in your life.
1. Review your list and figure out things you need to do like read a book or listen to a podcast or video that you can do while waiting at the doctor’s office or while tests are being done. They are items on your list already to do so change when you do them to adapt to the new circumstances.
2. Take a look at your weekly calendar and adjust it so that you can get that hour or two that you usually have for yourself to work on your own goals in other places. Break up your time if need be into smaller time frames so you can still focus and get some things done.
3. Reach out to others that may have more time available to them for help. They can pick up the kids or drop them off at events, take someone to the doctor, ship a package, make a deposit at the bank and so on. Close family or friends would love to help when needed, all you have to do is ask.
4. Learn that progress even if small is still progress. You may have a deadline you are trying to meet and things just keep getting in the way. Analyze the situation and see if your focus really needs to be elsewhere for the time being. Fit in what you can to work on your goals and cut yourself some slack. You are making progress even if it’s not as quickly as you initially wanted. Are the other circumstances going on more important for your focus right now? If so, be 100% present in them and know you will adapt to make your goals as needed.
5. Take a deep breath then ask yourself, what am I suppose to learn from this circumstance going on in my life right now? Could it be that you ended up with bronchitis and needed rest to get well? Are you giving yourself the attention you need to stay healthy by getting sleep or eating correctly? Have you been so focused on your job and then your own goals that you aren’t spending enough time with your spouse or family? The few minutes you take to evaluate what you need to learn will only make things better in the long run.
6. Have you let your emotions take over? Are you angry due to the unplanned circumstances? Are you yelling at your family as if they caused the challenges? Do you use the circumstances as an excuse to do something you wouldn’t normally do? Ask yourself if these current circumstances are in your control or your families. If they are not, then you need to get your emotions in check and stop using the current circumstances to harm others in your life with words of anger or disappointment. Remember they are going through this with you and they don’t need guilt or anger tossed at them.
It’s up to you whether you react to unplanned circumstances in a positive or negative way. Ultimately, it’s up to you how you handle these events, how you learn from them, and how you adapt to make progress in your life towards the things most important to you. Does it really matter if a deadline got pushed back by a couple weeks while these events were taking place in your life? Will it matter in a week, a month, or a year?
Allow yourself to adapt to the circumstances, challenges, events, or whatever you wish to call the things that unexpectedly come up in your life and you will successfully make progress towards your goals and dreams.
If you know someone that would enjoy this information, please share it with him or her. Leave a comment below on how you adapt to those circumstances that pop up in your life, but you continued to make progress on your goals.
Have a blessed week!
