Getting back on track when the unexpected happens

As each year gets underway, I spend time setting goals. I create a vision for my year, both personally and for my business. I make my vision actionable by identifying milestones and setting goals and timelines to get there over the course of the year. This year was no different. I knew what I wanted to focus on and had plans and targets for each quarter.

Then an unexpected, tragic death occurred in my family, and all focus was lost. I was in a fog. I was distracted from everything I had mapped out for the year. Still, as everything unfolded, I continued to work. I didn’t want business activities to fall too far behind, but I was not fully present. My head was swirling trying to process what had happened and the implications in my daily life. I was able to keep business activities afloat but was not making forward progress.

We’ve all been there. Big and small wrenches completely out of our control are thrown at us when we least expect it. We are suddenly sideswiped by something we could have never anticipated, and every facet of life is impacted. No one is immune to this. The key is taking the time to recognize the impact the event had on you (personally and professionally) and being proactive about returning to forward progress. I’ve found a few strategies that have been hugely beneficial as I work to get back on track for the year.

• Give yourself permission to be in the fog. It is OK to need time to process and digest whatever sideswiped you. Too often, our world gets rocked, and we try to power through without fully appreciating the impact of what just happened.

In my situation, I acknowledged that the “thinking” work of the business wasn’t going to get done initially and instead chose to journal during those blocked-out times. That gave me space to work through what had happened. I found that accelerated my ability to get back to a clear head, even if only for short spells initially. I was proactively working through what had transpired to be able to move forward.

• Revisit your vision and plans for the year. Take time to reflect on how the event has impacted what you thought was the most important thing to focus on for the year. Do you need to change the direction you are headed based on what occurred? Do you need to set different goals and objectives?

When I sat down to revisit what I had planned for the year, I found my conviction around what I wanted to accomplish had grown stronger, but how I wanted to achieve my goals had shifted. I updated my annual plan with these new details.

• Once you’ve revisited your vision and identified any changes that need to occur in your goals and objectives, determine what timelines and targets need to shift. Trying to move forward as if nothing happened and you were focused the whole time is setting yourself up for failure. Determine what can realistically be achieved in the remaining time frame, or change the timeline in which you intend to achieve the goal. Start fresh on your plan so you can be focused on the right activities from the outset.

Once I gained clarity on how my plans were changed, I revisited my timelines and shifted them slightly. I cut myself some slack in that quarter, knowing that with the remaining weeks, I wouldn’t be able to do enough to hit the original target.

• Ignore the feeling that you’ve wasted time. Dealing with the unexpected in life is never a wasted effort. We often learn a lot about ourselves and those we interact with the most during challenging events. Leverage what you’ve learned as you processed the experience and you’ll likely find yourself more focused than before you were sideswiped.

I learned a lot during the weeks immediately following the family tragedy. I learned how steadfast and supportive my family members are and gained exposure to different skills that I can leverage moving forward.

We all like to assume our plans are solid and nothing can prevent us from achieving our goals. But no one can see into the future. The wrenches get thrown, and life happens. It’s important to deal with the immediate issues that arise. It is also important to take proactive steps to pull out of the fog to keep your business moving forward.

**Originally published on Puget Sound Business Journal, March 2020