Every year is a year full of growth through various aspects. Usually, the most growth is experienced in my professional fields, and in fitness.

Last year wasn’t any different. Despite hitches in the “program” of life, I had probably my most successful year with the weights, and even on the pavement with my running.

I have no answers as to the how, or the why. I just know, looking back at the accomplishments, I was making, and breaking PRs left and right. I zeroed in on my pre-baby 5-kilometer run personal best in October. I bested my pre-baby mile personal best. I broke 200-pounds on my back squat, and I couldn’t stop setting new bench and deadlift personal records.

On. Fire.

2017 was the biggest year of growth for me in terms of my mental wellness. The past few years, the gears have been turning, clicking into place, as I found myself coming more and more into a place where I could comfortably talk about my depression and anxiety. How both played roles in various aspects of my life from parenting, my job, and even my workouts.

What also clicked into place was my head space to be able to comfortably talk about my past. Experiences that shaped my life, and made me who I am today.

One area that this all played a huge role in was the deadlift. I had been hung up just on the other side of 200-pounds for nearly a year. Stuck, and unable to figure out why. Once the dawning came, and I was able to break loose, my numbers started soaring again.

2017 was even the best year for myself in terms of relationships. I was able to shake free from some that were holding me back from growing, and blossoming. And I found myself surrounded by people who made me feel like I belonged.

The fact that, all around, 2017 was such a great year for me, despite some pretty serious downs in terms of health, is why the start of 2018 has been so hard.

Reassessing. Replanning. Redoing.

This, only one full month into the new year, has been the headline of almost every day.

Just before the turn of the year, I had a really bad fall, seriously banging myself up. Then, not too far off from the start of that recovery, I was knocked down with the flu.

January was spent more down than up.

How do you carry on with the momentum you gained after a good year, when you’re suddenly hammered with setbacks?

You reassess.

Spread the year’s goals out. Look at what you want to achieve and the original timeline you gave yourself. Look at every single day that you have ahead of you, spanning the rest of the year.

You replan.

Everything that you were going to do when you set those goals and hoped achievements, replan it all. Do you need to go all the way back to the start? Or can you pick up where you last were before the setback? Test the waters and see just how much of a set back you were handed by life. Shuffle the timeline around. It may take a little longer to get there, but you can get there.

You redo.

It’s going to feel like you’re just starting out, but this is a necessary step. Get in there, start over. Pick up where you left off. Whatever you do, don’t stop, keep going.

Because the goals we set, those achievements we hoped to make? We do that because they are things we want to do. Things we want to see if we’re truly capable of. And if we quit before trying absolutely everything we can do to get back on track after a setback, we’re shortchanging ourselves, and not showing ourselves what we’re truly capable of.