How to Overcome Fear & Setbacks & Start Reaching Goals!

Last year I took some time offline and did the hardest thing physically ever in my life.

It was an amazing adventure that I will never forget.

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In part, thanks to the view. In part, thanks to the pain that caused me to learn to overcome fear. I’ll get to that in a minute.

Have you ever noticed the things that change you the most are not the moments that come easy?

Instead, it is the struggles, hardships, challenges we overcome and the fears we face that help us become who we are today.

This trip to Chignecto in Nova Scotia was incredible. Just look at the view from the top!

For the record, that is a looooong way down!

My husband and I did this hike together last year. ♥

We “huffed” (my technical term, because that is the sound I made all the way 😛 ) our gear in by backpack to a cabin in the woods.

It was a bare bones cabin which means it had bunks and a fireplace and a front door. No plumbing. No stove. It was perfect.

My backpack was about 20 lbs and the hike was supposed to be 8.5 km one way. Except…we got lost.

The problem was the hike itself is up and down from sea level to about 600 meters. Zigzags and straight up, like mountain goat pathways. You can make them out in the photo above.

All the way up and all the way down.

Adding the extra bit of mileage of getting lost , we had the “privilege” of doing these stairs 3 times.

I was exhausted before we hit the right trail.

We weren’t sure we were going the right way and asked a fellow hiker. He didn’t speak English as his first language but he gestured and said, “A little up, a little down. A little up. A little down.”

Turns out “little” was not time nor distance. But it did make for some great laughs as we repeated the mantra up and down the mountain.

In the picture below I am laughing really hard. I’m so tired!! 

As physically draining as it was it was worth it.

This was our morning breakfast view.

What I didn’t share much about was the fact I got hurt on the way in. Which involved painkillers and hiking all the way back out.

I pulled tendons or something…the part that holds your knee and keeps it from popping out the side. Whatever it is called it hurt. A lot.

Don’t I look happy?! Lol! That is on the way back out and each step felt like my knee was going to be ripped out. Ugh! 

It hurt so bad it took me off my feet for 6 weeks. That kind of pain and injury sticks with you. There were moments taking the next step I wanted to break down and cry. I didn’t want to take one. more. excruciating step.

But I had too. No one was going to save me. I was in the middle of nowhere. I had to keep going. I had to keep trying. Through the pain.

My daughter and I found this journal in Micheal’s the other day, it says “Leave your fears behind”.

It reminded me of WHY I am back to hiking and the journey of getting there.

Recovery wasn’t easy. It is about overcoming fear and working hard for a dream. Hitting the goals to make it happen and doing something you love.

I love to hike.

If you’ve been following my #walkeveryday challenge on Instagram or Facebook you’ll note much of my daily walks revolve around new trails, water, and the dog.

Hiking is important for me to de-stress, unwind and enjoy the fresh air. Taking care of me.

Sometimes a kid or two will come with me which I love because as a busy mom I don’t often get to connect with the kids as much as I’d like.

Sometimes my husband and I go alone. A little while ago we saw a sign on the way back from an errand and decided to check out this trail.

Isn’t it pretty? I hope to do more of the trail soon.

Unfortunately, fear can hold us back from doing something we love.

We can tell ourselves we aren’t worth it. Not good enough. Not strong enough. Not enough.

Instead of making a plan to get back to what we love- we give up.

As soon as we returned from Chignecto, I did two things.

I talked to my husband and told him I wanted to do the trail again but this time as a family. AND I wanted to figure out what happened on the trail to my knee and how to prevent it.

Having those two specific goals helped me focus on getting results.

I started doing exercises to strengthen my legs. I did lunges, squats, and steps. I worked out 5 days a week when I could. I didn’t want to give up something I loved for fear of getting hurt.

In the fall we found a trail close to us. I, along with my husband, daughter, and Max, hiked it. It was beautiful but steep hills and zig zag paths. Perfect for training for Chignecto with the kids.

The first time we hiked the trail it went great! We had fun and found out it was a bit longer and steeper than we thought.

A few months later in the spring, we decided to take my son, who missed the first one. We also wanted to test out our new hiking poles, which are supposed to help prevent strain on your knees.

There were sections of the trail still covered in snow and slush.

Sure enough, part way down I felt it. A twinge of pain in my knee. *Sigh*

By the time we hit the bottom, I knew I couldn’t make it back up. I was devastated. I felt like all my training, hard work, research was for nothing. 🙁

You might think I would just give up. Nah. lol!

I love hiking and one of my goals this year is to get outside more connect with my family AND do this ⇓ hike.

This is the beach you start on before you hit those stairs. 

Just because I had a setback didn’t mean giving in or giving up.

We ALL have setbacks.

Things that don’t go as planned. Things that we end up doing that were not part of the original plan that ends up being amazing. Mountains to climb be it mentally or physically.

I never planned on going back to work. I never planned on starting a blog or starting my own business. If you had told me that years ago I would be my own boss, work 5 jobs, homeschool and do volunteer work –I would have told you that you were crazy!

Life doesn’t go as planned.

I currently do all of those things and make sure I take time to work on my goals because I want to live my life not in fear of pain, fear of failure or in fear of missing out but in a way that makes me happy.

Choices.

This past year I’ve really been focusing on the choices I make and how they impact my life.

I can choose to live in fear OR I can choose to keep going, doing what I can to prevent, plan and work hard to get the desired results. I can choose to give up when those plans and preparations go sideways OR I can adjust and keep going.

As I sit here typing this I have an appointment with someone who will tell me if my knee can handle the hike or not. If a brace would do the trick or if I need more time to heal.

Was it part of my plan? No. If he says no I can’t do it, I’ll be devastated. I’ll feel those emotions. Anger. Disappointment. Knowing me, I’ll have a good cry, eat some chocolate and pull out my planner. 😉

And begin again. With a new plan.

Speaking of a planner, I’ve been playing around with the My Purposeful Plans Journal: For Setting and Tracking Goals. I was given the PDF in exchange for my opinion.

But. I wish I had purchased the actual paperback from Amazon.

I really like writing my goals down and seeing it on paper. I really do need to buy one. I picked up about 20 at a local store that day with my daughter and put them ALL back. I refuse to buy one I won’t actually use.

I’m really picky which is why I love it when others recommend their favorite planner. The InnerGuide Life Coach in a Book, Jump-Start Your Goals in 90 Days! Motivation & Success Planner came highly recommended to me by a fellow hiker.

Unfortunately, you can’t get this format anymore, but the updated one looks great, you can see that here.

The reason it caught my eye was from the “inside peek” pages shown. From this, you can see if it is something that will motivate you, keep you on track, and move forward to reach those goals. Or not.

Whatever it takes, keep going! You can reach your goals in spite of (or maybe because of ) overcoming fears and setbacks!

Take Care, 

Jen

PS. Following your dreams is a choice only you can make. It means having a little faith in you ♥ If you need a little inspiration to follow your dreams be sure to read: What Will It Take To Follow YOUR Dreams?

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