Steps in Getting Back on Track

She wrote, “I’m 40 and I feel like a failure. I’ve wasted so many years. How do I get back on track?”

That hit me hard because I’ve heard it in different forms from so many women. Different ages. Different paths. But the same gut-wrenching feeling:

“I should be further by now.”

If that’s where your head and heart are today, let me say this clearly. You are not broken. You’re not too late. And no, you haven’t wasted your life.

This moment right here can be your turning point. Not because someone gave you permission, but because you decided: I’m done living small. I’m ready to reclaim my life.

So how do you start fresh when you feel like you’re already behind?

Let’s walk through it together.

1. Let Go of the Guilt

You don’t have to keep dragging your past like a weight behind you. Regret doesn’t mean you failed. It means something mattered to you. It means you care. That you know you’re capable of more.

Use that awareness, but stop using it as a weapon against yourself.

Say this out loud:
“I did the best I could with what I knew. Now I know better.”

That’s not an excuse. That’s growth.

Healing starts when you give yourself permission to stop punishing yourself for being human.

2. Start Exactly Where You Are

You don’t need a grand vision or a five-year plan. You need one small action. Just one.

Not another motivational quote. Not another day waiting to feel ready.

Pick one thing you’ve been avoiding. Something that feels doable. Something you already know in your gut will move you forward. Then do it.

Clean the room. Open the laptop. Make the call. Write the email. Lace up your shoes. Start small, but start.

You don’t find clarity by thinking more. You find it by doing something.

3. Decide Who You Want to Become

Stop trying to map out the rest of your life. Start thinking about the woman you want to grow into.

Ask yourself:

• Who do I admire?
  
  
• What qualities do they have that I want to strengthen in myself?
  
  
• How do they spend their time?
  
  
• What kind of choices would I make if I lived like her?
  
  

No judgment. Just honesty.

Then start showing up like her. Not someday. Today. The shift happens when you start acting like the version of yourself you’re becoming, not the one you’re trying to escape.

4. Try a 90-Day Experiment

Feeling stuck doesn’t mean you need a full-blown life overhaul. It might just mean you need to try something new.

Pick one thing you’re curious about. Something that excites you or makes you feel alive again. Commit to it for 90 days.

Not forever. Just long enough to learn something.

Set a clear, simple goal. Choose a daily or weekly habit. Track it. Reflect at the end.

Let it be an experiment. Not a test you’re trying to pass. This is how you turn pressure into play and fear into movement.

5. Change Your Environment

You can’t grow in the same soil that kept you stuck.

Look around. What’s weighing you down? What are you allowing into your space, your mind, and your heart?

That means:

• Clean your space.
  
  
• Limit time with people who drain you.
  
  
• Protect your attention.
  
  
• Choose books, podcasts, and content that build you up.
  
  

You don’t need a perfect environment. You need one that supports who you’re becoming.

6. Speak to Yourself with Respect

Would you say to a friend the things you say to yourself? Probably not.

Stop bullying yourself in your own mind.

Every time you hear that voice say:
“You’re too late.”
“You messed it up.”
“You’ll never change.”

Replace it with:
“I’m learning.”
“I’m growing.”
“I’m showing up.”

This isn’t fluff. It’s the foundation. You cannot build a powerful life on top of self-hate. Talk to yourself like someone worth fighting for. Because you are.

One More Thing: Growth Isn’t Linear

Some days you’ll feel like you’re making real progress. Other days, it might feel like you’re back where you started. That doesn’t mean you’ve failed. It means you’re doing the work.

Real change isn’t a straight line. It’s messy, and it’s full of detours. There will be setbacks, doubts, and days when motivation is nowhere to be found.

That’s okay.

You don’t have to get it right every time. You just have to keep coming back to yourself. Keep choosing you. Keep showing up in small ways that build trust with the woman you’re becoming.

Every stumble still counts as movement forward when you choose to rise again.

You’re Not Starting Over. You’re Starting From Strength.

This isn’t about getting “back on track.” This is about building a new one—one that actually feels right this time.

You’re not too old. You’re not too late. You’re not behind.

You are standing at the beginning of a new chapter. And what you choose to do next matters far more than anything you didn’t do before.

So take a breath. Then take one step.

It doesn’t have to be perfect. It just has to be now.

You’ve got more strength, more time, and more fire in you than you think.

Let this be your turning point. Let this be the day you rise.

RISE Unbreakable. Always.