{"id":35271,"date":"2017-06-07T08:01:26","date_gmt":"2017-06-07T12:01:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/?p=35271"},"modified":"2017-06-07T08:01:30","modified_gmt":"2017-06-07T12:01:30","slug":"dont-retire-refire-how-to-get-yourself-back-on-track","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/?p=35271","title":{"rendered":"Don’t Retire, ReFire: How to get yourself back on track"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Gail Supplee Tatum<\/strong>, Columnist, The Times<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Did you ever notice that getting off track can be so easy and getting back on track can be challenging?<\/p>\n

Staying on track and following the path that you\u2019ve chosen is an ongoing, continuous mindset. It doesn\u2019t just happen once and you\u2019re good. That\u2019s not even remotely how it happens. It requires a constant effort of daily, goal-oriented tasks. How do we do that? Can we recognize when we\u2019re off track?<\/p>\n

Often times we are going at the only speed we know, which is overdrive, spinning and spinning and spinning our wheels! You know the saying, \u201cYou can\u2019t see the forest for the trees?\u201d It is that lack of focus and blindly tripping over our own feet that keeps us from recognizing that we\u2019re off track. It isn\u2019t until we\u2019ve completely derailed that we stop spinning and notice our derailment.<\/p>\n

Here are 3 suggestions, from an expert on constantly getting herself back on the road:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Write out your top 10 goals.<\/strong> We hear this all of the time but do we really do it? Growing up, in my era, there was never any discussion about goal-setting, not at home, with my parents, or at school, with my teachers. Oh sure, there was the question, \u201cWhat do you want to do after high school?\u201d I didn\u2019t know. I didn\u2019t know how to know, either. Setting goals is a skill that must be taught, cultivated and constantly revisited, starting at an early age. Fortunately, parents are smarter and the education system understands the importance of setting goals. I still have a hard time writing out my goals. I have to force myself to do it. It doesn\u2019t come naturally to me, even now. I have to really think long and hard about it and then write down what my goals are. Knowing your goals and knowing how to achieve your goals are two different layers to the process. In order to stay on track, it\u2019s important to put pen to paper and write them down. You\u2019ll remember better, it will be more meaningful and you\u2019re far more likely to see your goals come to fruition.<\/li>\n
  2. Make a Plan and a Daily To Do List. <\/strong> This is the implementation process. Once you have your goals, create the plan to see your goals become a reality. As you review your goals and begin to set the plan, you may begin to see a pattern and similarities with each goal. Your goals may have a common thread. It will become clear that one or two consistent actions in your plan are all that\u2019s needed to achieve most of your goals. For example, if your goals are to exercise regularly, eat healthier, work on a personal project, etc., the common threads are creating the space you need each day and keeping a regular schedule. Along with your plan, your \u201cTo Do\u201d list is essential. Most of what we read about setting goals, making a plan and write out \u201cTo Do\u201d lists, suggests that we write them out the night before. I would agree with that but if the early hours of the morning works better for you, then do that. The important message is to do it and get in the same rhythm. It\u2019s not necessary to spend the time writing down what needs to be done, in the order in which it needs to be done. Again, that process slows us down. After you\u2019ve written out your list, then you can differentiate what must<\/strong> get done that day and what you\u2019d like to get done. Remember, whatever doesn\u2019t get done, will be transferred to the next day\u2019s list.<\/li>\n
  3. Be Still. Be Open to Receive. <\/strong>This exercise could arguably be what should come as the first step towards getting back on track. Can you think of a moment in time where the world was quiet and it was just you surrounded by the stillness. Was it early in the morning? Were you standing outside listening to the waves meeting the shore and breathing in the ocean air? Thinking about whatever that moment in time was for you is a form of meditation, by being still and open to receive new ideas or even old ones with a fresh outlook. It is in our stillness that our creative juices flow. It is truly how we recharge our battery! There is one question that, no matter what difficulties you may be facing, will awaken a smile and some peace, as you think about the answer. The question is, \u201cWhat brings you joy?\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    I leave you with two quotes:<\/p>\n

    \u201cWhatever you do may seem insignificant, but it is most important that you do it.\u201d Mahatma Gandhi\u00a0\u00a0 (I will add, \u201cbecause everything we do has significance.\u201d)<\/p>\n

    \u201cYou cannot expect to achieve new goals or move beyond your present circumstances unless you change.\u201d Les Brown (I will add, \u201cchange is the one thing we can count on.\u201d)<\/p>\n

    Any comments?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    By Gail Supplee Tatum, Columnist, The Times Did you ever notice that getting off track can be so easy and getting back on track can be challenging? Staying on track and following the path that you\u2019ve chosen is an ongoing, continuous mindset. It doesn\u2019t just happen once and you\u2019re good. That\u2019s not even remotely how […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":35273,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[245],"tags":[7426,9926,9927,298],"class_list":["post-35271","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-lifestyle","tag-featured","tag-getting-back-on-track","tag-new-goals","tag-retirement"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35271","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=35271"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35271\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":35272,"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35271\/revisions\/35272"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/35273"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=35271"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=35271"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=35271"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}