There are seasons in life where you are smashing your stretch goals, ticking boxes, growing, learning, pushing yourself, and feeling really motivated. And then there are seasons where honestly… just getting through the day feels like enough.
That’s where “just keep swimming” goals come in.
I always think of Dory from Finding Nemo: “Just keep swimming, just keep swimming.” Sometimes that is the goal. Not sprinting forward. Not becoming the best version of yourself overnight. Just not going backwards.
And I think that matters more than we realise.
What Are “Just Keep Swimming” Goals?
These are the goals you hold onto when life feels heavy.
Not the huge stretch goals. Not the big shiny goals you post about online. Just the simple things that keep you afloat while everything else feels chaotic.
Sometimes life throws everything at you all at once.
I had a period where my business was growing more than it ever had before, but at the same time:
- the contract financially supporting me was falling apart
- my grandmother was on her deathbed
- my father-in-law was on his deathbed
- one of my friends was also dying
And within less than two months, my friend, my father-in-law, and my grandmother all passed away.
At the same time, I had the most clients I’d ever had in my business.
It was just… all the things at once.
So, my goals changed.
Not because I was lazy.
Not because I failed.
Not because I wasn’t ambitious anymore.
But because survival became the priority.
Sometimes the Goal Is Just:
- get out of bed
- eat your meals
- have a shower
- get some sunshine
- reply to the important messages
- show up where you absolutely need to show up
That’s it.
And honestly? Sometimes those things are incredibly hard.
Especially during grief, burnout, depressive episodes, health struggles, family stress, or periods where your nervous system is just exhausted.
At the end of 2023, I went through a depressive episode after:
- going off antidepressants
- supporting my husband through seizures and brain surgery
- planning a wedding
- navigating family pressure and expectations
- trying to run a business through all of it
I had to step away from stretch goals completely.
I moved into “just keep swimming” goals.
And that season mattered.
The Three Levels of Goals
Something I’ve realised over time is that I tend to move through three different levels of goals depending on what season of life I’m in.
1. Just Keep Swimming Goals
These are your survival goals.
The goals that stop you from going backwards when life feels overwhelming.
They are your bare minimum foundations:
- eating
- sleeping
- showering
- attending work
- replying to essential people
- taking medication
- getting through the day
These goals are not “small.”
They are necessary.
2. Bare Minimum Moving Forward Goals
These are the goals you use when you’ve got a little more energy again.
You’re not in full survival mode anymore, but you’re also not ready to go full speed into growth and pushing yourself.
For me personally, with my business, my bare minimum moving forward goals are things like:
- posting about the podcast once a week
- sending one email
- staying consistent enough to keep momentum going
Not doing everything.
Just enough to move forward slowly.
3. Stretch Goals
These are the goals that stretch you.
The ones where you are growing, building, learning and pushing yourself outside your comfort zone.
These are:
- starting the business
- chasing promotions
- building fitness goals
- saving large amounts of money
- changing careers
- learning new skills
- creating something bigger than where you currently are
Stretch goals are amazing.
But they are not sustainable 100% of the time.
And I think that’s something people forget.
You Don’t Have To Operate at 110% All the Time
A lot of us think if we are not constantly growing, constantly producing, constantly improving, then we are failing.
But life doesn’t work like that.
Sometimes your health needs attention.
Sometimes your family needs attention.
Sometimes grief shows up.
Sometimes burnout hits.
Sometimes your brain and body need recovery.
And during those times, your stretch goals might not even make your top ten priorities anymore.
That does not mean you failed.
It just means you’re human.
Having Different Goal Levels Reduces Shame
This is probably my favourite part of this whole concept.
Having these three levels of goals removes so much shame.
Because if your only goal is the huge stretch goal, then the moment life happens, you feel like you’re failing.
But if you already know:
- “Okay, right now I’m in a just keep swimming season.”
or - “Right now I only have capacity for bare minimum moving forward goals.”
Then you can adjust without feeling like you’ve ruined everything.
You haven’t ruined anything.
You’re adapting.
You Are Allowed To Change Pace
You are allowed to:
- slow down
- pause
- recover
- rebuild
- rest
- survive
- reassess
- step things back temporarily
And then when you’re ready…
you can move back into your stretch goals again.
That’s exactly what I’ve done.
I moved from survival goals, into bare minimum goals, and now back into stretch goals.
There’s no shame in that process.
Just Keep Swimming
If you are in a hard season right now, maybe your goal today is simply:
- drink water
- answer one email
- go outside for five minutes
- eat something nourishing
- make it through the workday
- ask for support
That counts.
That matters.
And it is enough.
We don’t always need to sprint.
Sometimes we just need to keep swimming.
Final Thought
You do not have to earn rest by burning yourself out first.
Some seasons are for stretching.
Some seasons are for rebuilding.
Some seasons are simply about surviving long enough to see the next version of yourself emerge.
There is no shame in changing pace.
If all you can do right now is keep your head above water, then let that be enough because even slow movement is still movement. Even tiny steps are still steps.
And one day, without even realising it, you’ll look back and see that all those little “just keep swimming” moments carried you through something you once thought would break you.
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