Getting back on track
Are you trying to get back on track but somehow you keep falling short?
Did that sentence spike something in you? Maybe a little motivation, or a little boost. Or maybe you thought “not this again”, and felt immediately stressed? The problem with this expression, the “getting back on track” part, and the meaning we attach to it. The idea itself puts way more pressure on us than we realize. It makes it feel like we’re failing, and now we need to fix everything all at once. No wonder it’s hard to maintain healthy habits, it already feels exhausting before even starting.
I am talking about this because I caught myself doing it this week where I was like “no this is crazy I really need to get back on track and do this and that”. But I paused and thought “wait… why am I stressing myself out like this? Stop being so dramatic about it”. Because why would I knowingly be putting my body and my mind through this level of stress for no real reason? So instead, I thought, “No, I’m just going to be re-adding things into my routine”. No punishment, no starting all over again, just simple habits, day by day. Simple, consistent and no drama needed.
That small shift changes everything. It removes pressure, guilt, and it stops turning daily habits into tiny stressors, which honestly, most of us already have enough of. The power of our subconscious mind. Once you start understanding how it works, you realize how powerful small actions can be, both negatively and positively. Your mind doesn’t respond well to extremes. It responds to consistency, and safety.
“Have your mind work with you, not against you” (Jarrod Spencer)
This is just a small read for this week, because I’m sure I’m not the only one that feels like this from time to time. And I’m not saying don’t be motivated or excited to “get back on track”, because honestly, I am sometimes. When I get that boost of energy, or I randomly wake up and feel productive and I feel like everything is aligning perfectly, I couldn’t feel happier. But now I’m talking about how quickly that mindset can flip. Because “getting back on track” can easily become a subconscious form of self-pressure, and that pressure usually creates the exact opposite result.
Here’s an example :
- The “I ruined the day” mindset
Okay so you decided Monday you’re gonna get back on track and start eating well and go to the gym and drink a lot of water and so on. Therefore, Sunday you go to the grocery store, you get healthy ingredients for meal prep/cook healthy dinners throughout your week. Monday comes, you wake up you feel motivated, because the beginning of the week = reset and starting fresh. Tuesday, you wake up, same thing, you drink your water before your coffee, you eat a nice healthy breakfast and you hit the gym and it was a good session, you feel amazing. Wednesday comes, you wake up, a little less motivated, it’s cold outside you feel like having something sweet with your coffee. Then guilt sneaks in. Now your brain tells you “your day is ruined”. So you stop trying altogether. You don’t drink your water, you don’t go to the gym, not because you can’t, but because it didn’t start perfectly. The next day you wake up and you tell yourself you’re gonna get back on track next Monday. Now the rest of the week becomes stressful and instead of making small adjustments in real time, you wait for a perfect moment that never really comes. How convenient.
But the truth is, you still could’ve gone to the gym. Even if it felt harder than usual, you could’ve done something simple. A short workout. A quick walk. Just showing up . Not everyday is meant to be perfect. And that’s exactly why simplicity and consistency matter so much. Because if we keep telling ourselves “I’ll restart tomorrow”, every time something feels off, we end up restarting our life, every single day.
This is just one example. But this same mindset shows up everywhere : the “Monday reset spiral”, the “I’ll start when life feels calm” trap, the “too many rules” reset, the “fear of starting small” and all the negative self talk that comes with it.
Greatness isn’t built through perfection. It’s built through repetition. Perhaps a little cliché but still true nonetheless.
With sincerity, Camelia