If you think you have lost track, you probably have not.

I was talking to a friend recently and he said something that made me pause. Talking of his training plans being derailed by life, he said: “I have been off track for a while. I feel like I have lost track of who I want to be.” I responded: “I don’t think so. You would not be saying that if you did. Those who lose track, usually don’t know that they have”.

We all want life to be predictable. I will take this step, then that step, follow path A, then turn here. If I follow the plan, it will lead me exactly where I want to be. But that is naive thinking. “Man plans, God laughs” goes the saying. Uncertainty is built into life. Call it nature, providence, luck, lack of luck, or divine intervention, it does not matter.

Setbacks, obstacles, delays. New plans, new priorities, emergencies. Accidents, injuries, tragedies. There is a lot that can go wrong. A lot will go wrong. We are far from being in control.

But if you still know where you want to arrive, where you want to be heading, then good. You have not abandoned your goals. You are still on the path. You still know what it is that you have to do.

You may not end up taking the most direct route. Maybe you are going around a particular obstacle. Or perhaps you need to go back a little to re-evaluate and find a better way.

Don’t be too hard on yourself. Recognize what is happening, accept it and keep pushing. Or find another way towards your goals. There is a path for you out there.

Look at all successful individuals out there. Usually, these are the people who simply did not give up. As a wise man (or a woman) said, “Life is not about waiting for the storm to pass… It’s about learning to dance in the rain.”