What to Do When You Drift Off Course: Getting Your Goal Back in the Window

June 28, 2025 Cathleen Zahradnik

“No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.” Philippians 3:13-14 NLT

It’s about halfway through the year. How are you doing on reaching the goals you set in January? If you are at all like me, you may notice a bit of drift.

The movie Apollo 13 depicts a scene where the astronauts needed to manually adjust their trajectory. Normally, their computer system would have kept them on track but because of damage from an in-space explosion most systems, including navigation, were shut down to reserve as much power as possible for their return trip to earth. Without power their course had drifted.

After the explosion they had one goal, to get home. Making the adjustment required powering up only thrusters for a very short time. Navigation had to be manual. The plan: Keep the earth in the window and they could adjust their course and make it home.

The scene is full of tension as the astronauts fight to keep the earth in the window after the sudden burst of rocket power. Those tense moments led to great relief. Successfully keeping the earth in the window corrected their drift and led to their safe return. A simple strategy based on their primary goal.

I’ve noticed the trajectory toward my goals is a bit off. Other details of life have crowded out tying up some loose ends so I can mark those goals complete. One goal is getting my book across the publishing finish line. It’s time to get my goals back in the window. I may not get perfectly on track, but I can get closer to where I want to be.

Getting back in the window requires:

Honest evaluation. I don’t know about you, but I sometimes avoid the truth because it reveals that I am not where I want to be. Maybe you know what I mean. If I don’t step on the scale, I don’t have to admit that I’ve gained weight. If I don’t sit down to evaluate my goals, I don’t have to admit that I’ve drifted. But the only way to get back on track is to know exactly where you are. You must evaluate what is actually in the window so you can adjust your trajectory.

Commitment to diligence. Once I’ve admitted the truth of where I am, I must commit to making the necessary adjustment. Like the astronauts, I need a plan to correct the drift. It may be tense for a while. It may take some hard work to get back on track. You and I must be committed to take the hard steps. That’s the only way to refocus on those God-inspired goals.

Grace. You need God’s grace and help to remain committed and take those steps. Apart from Him, you and I can do nothing. (John 15:5) But you also need to give yourself grace.

One of the most helpful statements I’ve ever heard is this, “There is no failure only learning.” A famous quote from Apollo 13 states, “Failure is not an option.” Learning is never failure. Give yourself grace to learn.

Dear friend, if you’ve drifted from achieving your goals, you probably have a good reason. There are times when life is the priority. You haven’t forgotten what you want to accomplish. You haven’t abandoned your God-sized dreams. It’s time to get those goals back in the window through honest evaluation, commitment, and grace. You haven’t failed. You are learning. It’s time to adjust your trajectory and get back on track.

Key Question: What do you do when you drift off course?

A Scripture to Consider: “No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.” Philippians 3:13-14 NLT

A YES Challenge: Check your goal progress for drift. What do you need to do to get that goal “back in the window”?

Prayer: Father, accomplishing this goal is taking longer and requiring more effort than I thought it would. It’s hard to keep making progress when the other details of life require my attention and energy. I have not been paying as much attention to completing my goals, even though I’ve never forgotten them. Help me to commit to keeping my goal a priority and finishing all I need to. I am so close to the finish line. Help me make it across! Amen.

How to Review Your Goals

June 14, 2025 Cathleen Zahradnik

“I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.” Philippians 3:12-14 NLT

How are you doing on achieving the goals you’ve set? It’s time to find out. It’s time to review your progress.

Reviewing your goal progress is an opportunity to celebrate, not just your progress, but your growth. So, how do you approach review in a way that encourages growth?

It starts with that perspective. Remember, it’s about the growth, not the goals. So, here’s a brief overview of how to do a goal review.

Set aside time. Reviewing won’t happen naturally. Since you are someone who wants to achieve, your tendency will be to focus on forward, check off the completed tasks and keep going. Looking back, reviewing, takes intentionality.

Review and Celebrate

June 7, 2025 Cathleen Zahradnik

“I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.” Philippians 3:12-14 NLT

Goals are not set-and-forget. Part of the goal-setting and accomplishing process is review. It’s important to stop from time to time and recognize what you have done toward your goal. Even if you aren’t as far as you hoped you would be, it’s important to celebrate where you are.

Just as you set goals in the beginning of the year or season, schedule times to review and celebrate. It’s important to make this a regular rhythm. And here’s why.

Reviewing reveals progress. Throughout my book-writing process it’s been easy to get caught in the weeds. There are many, many details in any big project. Truthfully, I tend to get overwhelmed at the beginning of large undertakings. I see all the details at once and don’t know where to begin.

Then, as I find a place to focus and get started, I never lose the awareness that there is still so much left to do. Although, I am making headway, it’s hard to acknowledge because of what is yet undone.

Celebrating Small Step Victories

May 3, 2025 Cathleen Zahradnik

“I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.” Philippians 3:12-14 NLT

Are you a goal-oriented person? Maybe I am wrong about this, but it is my observation that goal-oriented people struggle to celebrate their progress. Do you?

If you are goal-oriented, you may be so focused on the end that you don’t recognize the milestones along the way. Here’s my advice: Learn to celebrate small steps.

Every forward step is a victory. That may be a big perspective shift for you, but it will be worth the effort. Recognizing forward steps as victories will serve to fuel your motivation. What happens when you’re motivated? You keep moving forward. Isn’t that what you really want?

Backward steps are still part of the journey. The overall goal is progress, not perfection. Backward steps are going to happen. Stumbling is part of being human. I don’t like it, and I’ll bet you don’t either. Accepting the limits of being human will ease some of your goal-oriented angst. Probably not all of it, but that’s okay. It’s helped me a lot. Why not give it a try?

How Others Help You Reach Your Goals

April 26, 2025 Cathleen Zahradnik

“So encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing.”1 Thessalonians 5:11 NLT

Who helps you grow, my friend? Is there anyone in your life that you trust enough to tell you the truth?

I have a few friends that I know will tell me the truth about myself. They have invested in me, and I in them. We have spent enough time with each other to know each other well. We have gone through challenges and celebrations together. I am grateful for friends like that, but I have learned that those kinds of relationships are not just a blessing. They are essential.

None of us can truly accomplish anything on our own. Even though we may think we do. We need other people to help us become the person God designed us to be. He made us that way. We are created to need each other. Achieving your goals requires other people.

You need a teacher. A teacher shows you what to do. It may be someone with a free YouTube channel, or you may pay for a particular course of action. It may be a friend who is a few steps ahead on the journey or a skilled neighbor who invites you to shadow them and learn. You don’t know what you don’t know until you begin to learn. That’s been my experience.

I’m grateful for all the people who have made their knowledge available through the Internet. But I am most grateful for people who’ve been willing to share their knowledge and experience. Those relationships have been a treasure. We may not have become close friends, but they have deeply impacted me and guided me with their skill. I will always think of them and smile.

You need an encourager. There are several people who have continued to encourage me in my writing journey. They have believed in me and voiced their excitement or commented on things I have written.

Goal-Setting Step 1: Ask - Listen for the Unexpected

January 11, 2025 Cathleen Zahradnik

“I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you. Do not be like the horse or the mule, which have no understanding but must be controlled by bit and bridle or they will not come to you.” Psalms 32:8-9 NIV

Tom and I like to begin the year with a season of prayer and fasting. Why? We want our relationship with God to set the tone for the year. What characteristics does He want to build in us? What weaknesses will we work on? What does God want me to know about Him this year? What goals does God want me to set to help me grow toward the person He designed me to be?

Setting God-centered goals starts with asking God what He wants. This goal-setting process begins in the final quarter of the previous year. That is when I begin praying, listening, and looking to discover my word for the next year. That word becomes a guide as I enter the fasting and prayer season. This process of praying and waiting is about staying open. By removing distractions, like sweet treats, social media, or mindless games on my phone, I make space for God to speak. And He does.

God-centered goals often lead us in unexpected ways to unexpected places with unexpected people. Last year one of my goals was to finally finish writing and publish the book that has been in process for a decade, The YES Adventure. That goal led me to apply for an aspiring author’s cohort with a well-known writer and speaker…and I was accepted! I received one one-on-one input from a woman whose ministry I have admired for several years. Her guidance helped me finally see a clear structure for my book. Not only that, but I also received meaningful personal ministry from her at a conference several years ago and was able to tell her how much she had impacted me. After the online meeting she called to tell me she had left that conference discouraged and wondering if she had connected with anyone. I said, “You did! With me!”

I didn’t know about that cohort in January. If I had not recognized God’s nudge to make the book a priority I would never have applied for the group, received clarity on structure, or had the opportunity to encourage my mentor. The goal wasn’t just about the task, but the people who became part of helping me complete the task. Developing tenacity, learning techniques, and influencing people have all been a part of the book project. It’s so much more than achieving a goal. It’s about the growth, more than the goal.

God-centered goals are about God’s plan for my growth.