Erica: Hey, girl. By now, you know I have Her Collective, my online community for ambitious women who are done doing it alone. Her Collective is for the women who are smart, capable, and driven, but they find themselves stuck on the sticky floors like self doubt, burnout, and waiting for permission that quite honestly never comes. Inside HER, you get more than motivation. You get real support, real strategies, and real momentum.

We work on things like clarifying what you want now and what's coming next, building confidence without burning yourself out, navigating hard conversations, career moves, and leadership moments with clarity, and surrounding yourself with women who actually get it. This isn't about hustling harder. It's about moving intentionally with the right tools and the right people in your corner. If you're ready to stop spinning, start choosing yourself, and build a career in life that actually feels aligned, I'd love to welcome you inside her collective. You can learn more and join us at www.joinhercollective.com.

Because honestly, girl, you were never meant to do this alone. Hey, friend. I got a question for you. Do you remember those goals that you set back in January? How are you tracking on those?

I know. I know. We are in the middle of summer, and you're probably thinking more about tan lines, summer camps for kids, and vacations. But I wanna bring you back to January. And those goals that you set around the new year, how are they doing?

Are you making progress, or are they kinda slipping and sliding into the oblivion right now? If you're like me, chances are they might be sliding. So today, we are gonna talk about why we fall off track during the summer, the science of goal setting, and most importantly, how you can get back on track. This time of year is so easy to let goals slide.

I know. Look. I just got back from a week of vacation where I didn't do anything. We have the warm weather, the sun, vacations, and barbecues that can so easily distract us from our ambitions. And who can blame us?

We all want to enjoy some well deserved r and r and fun in the sun. But if we neglect our goals for too long, it can be challenging to regain momentum. So let's dive into the science of goal setting so that we can understand why this happens and, most importantly, what we can do about it. Setting goals is an important aspect of your personal growth. You know that.

That's why you're here today. But what you might not know is when we define our ambitions and create a plan to achieve them, we create a powerful psychological phenomenon called the Zeigarnik effect. Now this effect states that our brains tend to remember unfinished tasks more than completed ones, creating this mental tension of cognitive dissonance that actually drives us to take action. That's the good thing. Right?

So I want you to remember, cognitive dissonance is when you have conflicting thoughts, attitudes, and beliefs that creates the tension. It can create stress. And because we don't want to be in a state of cognitive dissonance, we do things to get shit done. It drives us forward. Cognitive dissonance is that very thing that keeps us working towards our goals.

Now during the summer, this effect can work against us. With so many distractions, we often just leave our goals hanging. They're unfinished, unattended. We kick it into next week and then the next, and then the next. And we say, this is more like a Monday problem, or I'm just gonna deal with this next week.

Now the Zeigarnik effect starts to lose its grip on our minds. And before we know it, we're caught up in all of the fun summer activities of swimming and vacations, and we leave all of those goals and aspirations behind. Now for those of you who are nonbelievers, let me just tell you, I have seen this over and over and over again. Again. When I was a personal trainer at the gym, so many of my clients would drop off until August when school kicked back up for those in the traditional school year.

It's just that time of year when schedules aren't so rigid, There's more of a relaxed feel, and we all start to get a little relaxed about, well, everything, including the things we should be doing on a regular basis to stay up on our goals. But I got your back. You know I do. I've got three strategies that have been proven to be effective time and time again that will reignite your drive and get you back on track. Strategy number one.

It's basic yet essential, and I think it is probably the most important. And this is remembering your why. Why did you set that goal back in January? What is important about this goal? And how is it gonna change your life?

If your goals are fitness related, say you wanna lose 25 pounds and maintain that weight loss, why is that important for you? Is it because that you wanna feel better when you look in the mirror? Is it because you want to show your kids that it's important to take care of your body because it really is the only place we have to live? What about that goal is important to you? And then I also want you to think about if you don't achieve that goal, what happens then?

How does it make you feel? What will you lose? When you think about your why and you think about why it's important and what happens if you don't achieve it, it brings you back to the reason you said that goal in the first place, and it gives you that momentum to keep going. Now strategy number two is to set summer specific goals. So So instead of just walking away from your goals altogether, adapt them to fit into this summer season by creating smaller, actionable milestones that align with this unique opportunity and also the challenges that summer brings.

Can't get to the gym because you got small kids at home? I feel you. Maybe take a family bike ride or do a walk instead. I also fit into this strategy that it's important to know your self, know who you are and how you operate best. So I was actually just on the phone with a good friend yesterday, and she runs her own company.

And she gives her entire staff the month of July off. And she just knows that she does better when she has that break and can totally walk away and take a summer sabbatical. She says, I do really well, Erica, with sprinting and resting, sprinting and resting. The word consistency is icky for me. So she has the time before and the time after July that she sets with specific goals so that she can do that.

So with this second strategy of summer specific goals, make sure that you are setting those goals that work best with you, your life, who you are, and how you operate. Now not everybody can shut down for a whole month. I get that. But what can you do? Right?

How can you align it with your life and how you best work and function? And now on to strategy number three, and I cannot stress this one enough. Create a support system. When you surround yourself with like minded individuals who share your drive for success, you are creating so much more of a runway for you to succeed. Find yourself an accountability partner.

Get a mastermind group or look into online communities on Facebook that are gonna keep you motivated even during the summer months. Now my girl, Rachel Johnson, created this accountability group to help her stay focused on her fitness, which has now turned into a lucrative side business. You can check her out in an upcoming episode in August to learn more. Shameless plug. But, seriously, find what works for you.

Find the people who work best with you. Someone you can share your goals with so that you can stay on track together. And you know what? For real, y'all. I need someone during these summer months.

So if you're listening and you wanna be my accountability partner, hit me up on Instagram. Seriously. I need one. But just remember, you are not alone on this journey. Now let's wrap it up with some quick tips from me, your favorite hype girl that is here to keep you on track for where you want to be.

I don't want you to lose out on all the time that you have during the summer months. I want you to be this much closer to your goals. So tip number one, what gets scheduled gets done. So schedule some time for your goals. Just like you plan and schedule out that summer beach vacation, block out specific times each day and each week to work solely on your goals.

Treat them as nonnegotiables with yourself. Tip number two, visualize success. Picture yourself achieving that goal, whatever it is. And I really want you to get granular here. Visualize the incredible feeling of accomplishment that comes with achieving that goal.

I want you to visualize that success, feel that pride, and harness that emotion. Because when you do, when you visualize your success, you are programming your mind for positive action, which is gonna help you stay motivated when the summer sand is just calling your name. And tip number three, and this is a big one, embrace flexibility. Summertime often brings unexpected opportunities for spontaneous adventures, and don't worry so much about sticking to this original plan. K?

Instead, allow for flexibility. Adapt your goals and be open to new experiences that align with your overall vision. The summertime creates flexibilities in our schedules. Right? So that you can fit in different things.

Since I don't have to get the kids up and out the door for school, I actually took a hot yoga class the other day, and it was so amazing. It was so fun. It was different. It was not something that I can usually do during the school weeks. And I want to encourage you to use this time to embrace the flexibility and do something different.

So there you have it. By reconnecting with your why, setting summer specific goals, creating a support system, and putting these quick tips into place, you will be well on your way to making gains on your goals this summer. You are not gonna be looking back in August saying, I wish I had done this or I wish I had done that. You are going to have this sense of accomplishment, and you will be that much closer to reaching your goals when we head into fall. Now remember, friend, it is not about perfection.

It is about progress. Even if you've fallen off track, even if you went on a fabulous opportunity to recommit and take action. You have the power to turn your summer into a season of growth, accomplishment, and fun. And before you go dive into all things summer, make sure that you follow me on Instagram and LinkedIn. Those are my main platforms, and I will share more content just like this one, surviving summer and keeping up with my goals.

And I love connecting with you over there. And, of course, here's your reminder to stop putting a ceiling on what is possible and to start breaking through it.