Retreat Is Just Another Tactic

What if retreat is part of the plan?

If our goals are truly ambitious, we will experience some difficulty achieving them. Tough goals cause us to stretch. Tough goals encourage us to grow, to adapt, to create. And, tough goals sometimes cause us to retreat.

I do not like to retreat. I do not like to come up short. My ambition is to plunge ever forward at rapidly increasing rates of speed. But sometimes, crap happens. Sometimes, that action item is bigger than expected and more challenging than it at first appeared. We might miss. We might retreat.

There does not need to be shame in retreating. It's just a dance step, really, leading to the next bold step up. We create some room, some breathing space. It's just a pause, or a parry. And then we leap ahead.

That's how it has felt with one of my exercise goals. I do well, and then something happens that distracts or delays me, and a day goes by with a missed goal. I am making peace with that while NOT letting go of the goal. Because tough goals take time, and life will do its best to borrow as much of that time as it can.

That's why we must be resilient. That's why we must be dedicated. That's why we must be disciplined. Set a noble goal, design a robust plan, and then act relentlessly on your plan.

Even when there's an occasional retreat. It's all part of the plan.

-- Doug Smith

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