Missed Opportunity To Achieve Your Goals

You have to make many decisions to achieve your goals.  Some of those decisions work out and others don’t.  Maybe you made the decision to go one direction and realized you should have went another.  However, it’s too late and now that door is closed.  You have to press on from where you are.  You might be kicking yourself and thinking you should have known better or chosen differently.  You may be saying to yourself that this was a huge missed opportunity to achieve your goals.  But, maybe it’s not.

Here For A Reason

You are where are you are for a reason.  There are no mistakes in life.  There are only lessons to learn.  Maybe what was on the other side of that door was not truly meant for you.  Or, at least not right now.  Perhaps you have regrets of what could have or should have been.  But, you have to live with it.  You’re here in this moment and all you can do is move forward from here.

Alternatives

Begin by looking for alternatives.  You use your knowledge and know how to make adjustments or pivot.  The truth is, you are not stuck where you currently are.  You can continue to take action and move forward towards your goals.  Stop waiting for what you had hoped to happen to come to fruition.  You’ll be just waiting a very long time.  Avoid beating yourself for wanting to go back and choosing differently.  Right now is the time to make another choice to move forward towards your goals.

Accept Where You Are

Perhaps you’re not quite where you’d like to be.  Take a deep breath in and let out a deep sigh.  It’s time to accept where you are.  Stop fighting it.  Acknowledge where you are and then you can figure out where you want to be.  Maybe you’ve been fighting for a future that’s not meant to be yours.  You want to have a certain amount of money, be a certain weight, have a specific career or job, receive a promotion, or achieve a certain goal.  These are all things you may want and dream of.  But, what if the one thing you actually need to do just be present exactly where you currently are?

Celebrate Your Wins

Take in the small wins that have gotten you to where you are right now.  Look at your achievements.  Create a list of gratitudes for everything in your life and what’s gotten you to this point.  Soak up all those good vibes.  Yes, you want more for your life but only when you appreciate what you currently do have can you actually also make room for more of what you want.

New Action Plan

Next, organize and create a new plan.  If your original plan to achieve your goals didn’t work, then it’s time to go back to the drawing board.  Don’t look at this as a failure.  Look at this as an opportunity to learn, try something new and different that you may not have otherwise thought of.  Remember the saying, when one door closes another one opens.  You just have to find your next door.

Right Path

There are no missed opportunities in life.  You are on the right path whether you realize it or not.  You will get to where you want to go.  It might just not be exactly as you had planned or on your time line.  Remember, it’s either this of what you want or something better.  Believe that you are supposed to walk this path for a reason and that more goodness is already on its way to you.

If you thought you missed your opportunity or said no to something that you wished you had said yes to, do not beat yourself up.  It was supposed to go this way for a reason.  That reason may be unknown to you, but trust it.  Begin looking for alterative options.  You do not have remain stuck where you currently are.  The next best move you can make to achieve your goals is right now.  Accept and acknowledge where you are.  Then, figure out where you want to be by creating a new action plan.  Trust that you are on the right path and that there are so many more, better opportunities in store for you in the future.

Take Action Challenge

Turn Your Missed Opportunity Into A New Path 

Step 1: Name The Opportunity

Think about one opportunity or decision you regret.

Maybe you said no, chose the wrong direction, waited too long, or felt like a door has now closed.

Write it down.

Then, finish this sentence, I wish I had _________.

Let yourself acknowledge the disappointment without judging yourself for it.

Step 2: Accept Where You Are

Take a deep breath and remind yourself that you cannot change what happened.  You can only choose what you do from here.

Look at where you are today, not where you wish you were.

Write down three things you have accomplished or learned that have brought you to this point.

Give yourself credit for how far you've already come.

Step 3: Find The Alternative Door

Now ask yourself, what other options are still available?

Brainstorm at a few alternative paths towards your goal.

They don't have to be perfect.  They don't even have to be options you've considered before.

Think outside your original plan.

You may discover that closing one door doesn't mean your goal is gone.  It may simply mean that you need to find a different way to get there.

Step 4: Create A New Action Plan

From your list, choose one alternative that feels the most promising.

Then, write down your goal, new path, your first step, and when you're going to take that action step.

Don't spend weeks trying to create the perfect plan.

Your goal is to find your next best move right now and take it.

Step 5: Look Forward, Not Back

Whenever you catch yourself thinking that you wish you should have _______. 

Replace it with what you can do now is ___________.

You can't go back in time through the door that's now closed.

But, you can start looking for the next one.

At the end of the week, reflect on what became possible when you stopped focusing on what you missed and started looking at what you can do next.