5 Ways To Realign Yourself With Your Goals

by Chantl Martin

Goals. They seem very simple to set and then you work towards accomplishing those goals, making tiny steps towards them every day. Simple, right?

The funny thing about goals is that once you start working on them, that journey to reaching them can take you in directions you didn’t originally intend. In fact, in working towards one goal, it could be very easy to get off track.

For example, you want to become a writer and publish your first book. You start a blog to practice writing, find your voice and start (hopefully) building loyal followers that like your content. Through your blog you meet a content creator who invites you to be a speaker on her vlog. While speaking on that vlog, a company reaches out to you to become a brand ambassador. One year after starting your blog, you’re now making sponsored instagram posts for Warby Parker. You still have not started on your book.

Does this sound familiar?

The beautiful thing about starting on a new journey is that you never know where the path can take you. Sometimes, however, you realize that your path has taken you far away from what you wanted to accomplish in the first place.

If you find that your path has led you somewhere you don’t actually want to be, take these steps to course correct and realign yourself with your goals.

Take some time to yourself to reflect.

Take a little time (or a lot), depending on how much you feel you need. Ask yourself  if you’re in an area where you can accomplish your life goals or if you’re currently in a position that is nice, but doesn’t serve your ultimate purpose.

Talk with friends to help you see different angles of your life.

Taking some time to look within yourself is always good, but taking a well rounded approach to your reflection is even better. Your best friends have a unique prospective on your life. They’ve seen you through the bad times and the good and know what you’ve been through. They’re great people to talk to when you’re in a state of reflection. Ask them whether you’re fully using your talents.

Make a list of the things you don’t want in your life.

Pursuing your dreams sometimes means that you have to cut some things out to make room to focus on the things you do want to accomplish. That means not spending your time on creating a video series(even though every guru tells you that what you need to be doing right now), but focusing your time on actually writing your book. Once you can hone in on what you don’t want, it makes it easier to create the space for the things you do want to thrive.

Take some time off.

Being in the thick of things and continuously working is the best way to always be looking for the next move or the next collaboration or the next opportunity. Taking time off gives your brain a second to stop thinking about whats next. At that moment, once you get out of the weeds, you’ll be able to look at the entire picture of your life and make better decisions based on the whole picture – rather than what you’re working on right now.

Start journaling.

Journaling is very unique in the fact that it allows you to write out how you feel about life and sort out your thoughts. In this free space where you are open to say whatever you want, you’re able to think clearer about the things you want. This is your space to create the change you want to see – and could be the space to realign yourself with your goals.

While it’s very easy to get off track on your goals, it’s equally as easy to realign yourself with your original vision. As you work through your goals, it’s also important to frequently take a step back and ask yourself if you’re on the right path.