January is an exciting time, filled with resolve, promises, goals, and anticipation. We say things like, “This is the year that…” or, “I will finally achieve…”

And now it is February, that moment-of-truth month of working toward our New Year’s resolutions. As a professional coach, I know that if you steadily work toward a goal, you can accomplish the seemingly impossible. As a woman who regularly juggles more than one plate, I understand that bumps along the way can take your sights off those goals faster than anything.

There is one thing you can count on in the coming year, the unexpected. Life happens and even though we get frustrated by interruptions, set backs, and unplanned events, that is, as they say, life.

How you perceive those interruptions will determine how you deal with them, and whether you allow them to sidetrack your progress. If you react to an unplanned event as if it were the worst thing that could happen, it may very well turn out to be just that! Remember, events are simply events until you attach a perception to them.

Let’s say that an illness keeps you from your regular exercise regimen, working on your novel, or marketing your small business. If you assume a rigid stance and decide it will be impossible to make up for lost time, your beliefs can become your reality. If, however, you accept that your body deserves rest, you gain control over self-defeating thoughts and are able to make headway once you feel better. How you respond to bumps in the road is up to you. Remember that you are the driver!

Because we want something at a certain time, or by a certain date, our deadlines are often self-imposed. Surely the success of your accomplishment would be just as sweet if it arrived a week, or a month, or six months later. The most important part of our accomplishments is that they do arrive, not when they arrive.

The recent flu epidemic stunned the Triangle during a very busy time in my life. Out of town presentations, family commitments, and the holidays made my calendar seem overwhelming towards the end of 2003. As I watched friends, colleagues, clients, and even my beloved husband come down with varying degrees of illness, I steadfastly proclaimed I “couldn’t possibly get sick until December 23”, when I finally had a few days off. One day I related my belief to a group of older adults and they laughed at me! As the flu was pillaging record numbers of North Carolina homes, I thought I could schedule its arrival in my own life?

Remember those perfectly planned “few days off” I just mentioned? Out of the blue, poof, they were gone when my mother took a tumble and I had to spend the last week of December where I needed to be - with her. And the flu, well it finally hit its target in January. Begrudgingly, yet with greater understanding, I allowed it to knock me down and run its course.

Perhaps “best laid plans” only work for mice because men and women can count on life happening to them. No matter how well constructed our goals may be, unexpected events and interruptions can, and will, come along and alter our progress. How we respond to them for the rest of the year will determine our success.

As we venture further into 2004, remember that February might be your test month. The newness and novelty of January has worn off and the test of our persistence begins. Allow yourself some breathing room and let go of self-imposed deadlines. Relax into this journey; it’s your journey. Acknowledge yourself for every small step you accomplish along the way. You are making headway toward your goal! And yes, your dreams can come true while you live a life filled with bumps and interruptions.