One of the things that can derail us from achieving our Goals is a small setback, or something not going exactly as planned. It throws off our thinking, our planning and our momentum. As we pursue our Goals, we’re often either very focused on what we’re doing and getting ready for the next task. That kind of focus is what allows us to really move ahead. It allows us to creates habits that support our work and our lives.
If we have a Goal to get up at a certain time so we can exercise to start the day, we’re going to do certain things in a certain order to make that happen. Studies and anecdotal wisdom tells us that this is a fantastic way to begin the day. It energizes us. It jump starts our metabolism and it puts us in a great mindset to have victories the rest of the day. This is certainly the case for me.
What happens is you oversleep? What happens if oversleeping squeezes your schedule so much that something has to give? You have to move things around or skip something. Maybe you have to skip the exercise so you can get out the door on time and get your kids to school. That’s a deadline that you can’t miss. Do you skip the exercise entirely or do you do it later, knowing that it will affect everything else for the rest of the day?
Depending on the situation, I’d say exercise however long you can. Unless you’ve overslept so much that you’re already late when you wake up, take at least 5 minutes to exercise somehow. Stretch. Do some push-ups, sit-ups or jumping jacks. Run in place. These should get your heart rate up enough to “count” as exercise and get at least some of the benefits for the rest of the day. Your metabolism will get some boost and you’ll get that first Success of the day, even if it’s not as big as normal. It keeps the momentum going.
Why? Because keeping the routine going and not letting it get disrupted is more important than getting the full exercise time in. You don’t break your daily chain of Successes and you don’t get derailed mentally. This is the most important thing. Don’t get derailed. How often have you had a disruption, like oversleeping, totally screw up your day? It puts you off your game. You get irritated at yourself and ultimately at others. You get annoyed or even depressed because you failed today. The rest of the day just doesn’t seem to go right.
It’s happened to everyone. Me. You. Everyone.
When you have one day like that, have you ever had another just like it the next day? Maybe even the day after that too? I’d bet the answer is yes. You’ve now started a new chain of actions, only they’re not Successes are they? This becomes a chain of disappointment and what you’re thinking of as failures. You replace positive momentum with negative momentum. All because some small thing disrupted your plans and routine actions. You allowed it to affect not just the moment, but the day and the days that followed.
When we’re pursuing our Goals, it’s far better to adjust and keep going. Do what you can in the moment, knowing that it may not be your best effort or result. The action that moves you toward your Goals is far better than being preoccupied with what didn’t happen. That moves you away from your Goals. It’s basically letting the perfect be the enemy of the good.
