10 Simple Ways to Stay on Track After Outward Bound
So, your Outward Bound course is over. You’ve left Anakiwa, said goodbye to your watchmates and returned to the pace of daily life. And now... what? Now that you’re back in the “real world,” you might be wondering how you can integrate all you’ve learned. This is a normal part of the experience and it’s nothing to be apprehensive about. Some might even say, this is where the real journey begins.
You might not have your watchmates and kaiako cheering you on anymore but the real power comes when you become your own biggest supporter. That’s the next challenge. Sure, life will happen, distractions may arise, life gets busy, but that fire will always live on inside of you. It’s just a matter of remembering and getting back up. To start you off on the right foot, here are ten simple and grounded ways to stay on track after your course.
1. Make time to reflect
Before you get swept up into the pace of daily life again, make reflection one of the first things you do post-course. Write down what you’ve learned, how you’ve grown and what you’d like to hold onto while it’s fresh in your mind. Come back to these reflections regularly to remind yourself of your key takeaways.
Here are some journal prompts to help you reflect:
What did I learn about myself that surprised me?
What strengths did I discover or reconnect with?
What parts of the course challenged me the most and how did I respond?
What habits, mindsets, or practices from the course do I want to keep in my life?
What’s one thing I want to do differently because of what I experienced?
What would I want to tell my future self if I start to drift off course?
2. Set goals and intentions
When you’re on course, you may have had some aha moments or felt drawn to new aspirations. What do you want to achieve now that you realise what you’re capable of? If you embodied the version of yourself you discovered on course, what might you achieve 12 months from now?
When setting your goals, don’t forget to define your why. The deeper the reason, the stronger your motivation. Ask yourself why these goals matter to you and keep that answer somewhere you’ll see it often.
3. Take things one step at a time
Outward Bound has a way of transporting you from a world of limitations to a world of possibilities. As you re-enter daily life, it can feel overwhelming to merge those two worlds, but you don’t have to do it all at once.
Remember those moments on course when doubt crept in and you questioned whether you could keep going? The moments when you brought your focus back to just the next step - one foot in front of the other. And before you knew it, you had moved through those limitations, one step at a time. The same approach works now.
If it all feels like too much, start with one small step. Choose one practice, mindset, or habit you want to carry forward. Show up one step at a time and then take the next one. You have got this! Trust yourself and believe in yourself. Only doubt can stand in your way but you know you're stronger than that now.
4. Get outside
It’s easy to overlook the simple things like getting outside! Being outdoors, even for a short time, can help us slow down, get grounded, and re-focus on what’s important. We’re incredibly blessed to live in beautiful Aotearoa, where we have access to an abundance of parks, beaches, reserves, and bush tracks right on our doorstep.
Regardless of your time and energy levels, there are options to suit them all, so just get outside whether that looks like a picnic at the park, a walk in nature, a trip to the beach, or an outdoor adventure like rock climbing, hiking, or kayaking just to name a few.
5. Move your body
Movement is the opposite of stagnation, so don’t forget to keep moving. It doesn’t have to be about pushing your body to the max every time. Movement that challenges you brings growth but don’t let this negate the power of lower intensity, consistent movement as well. Stretch, dance, swim, reach 10,000 steps a day. This movement also helps keep the momentum going.
Keep moving your body and make sure to challenge yourself every now and then, because you know you can do it.
6. Stay connected
You shared a powerful and unique experience with your watchmates, so stay connected and reach out when you need a boost of motivation. Many of our alumni have group chats with their watch and some even have yearly reunions. And don’t forget - you’re now a part of the Outward Bound community!
Feel free to reach out and share updates on your life and what you’ve achieved since course. Sign up to our Alumni newsletter to see what others in the community have been doing. We also have regular alumni celebration events around the country - we share these with our mailing list!
7. Set your own challenges
You don’t need a mountain to climb to keep challenging yourself. Keep that muscle strong by creating your own challenges, even if they’re small. It could be committing to a new habit, saying yes to something new, stepping up at work or accomplishing another physical feat. Take it to the next level and fundraise as an Outward Bound Champ as you do it.
Many of our alumni say going screen-free during their course was one of the most powerful parts of the experience and challenge themselves to bring more screen-free time into their daily lives. In our article The Power of the Digital Detox, we share simple ways to get started at home.
8. Use the tools you were given
You have more tools than you think. The ones you picked up on course, like being present, using your breath to steady yourself, breaking things down into manageable steps, or asking for help and support when you need it. When life gets hard or busy, it’s easy to forget them. But they’re always there, available to you. Just remind yourself of them when you’re feeling off-center and let them anchor you back in the moment.
Want to share some of those lessons with those closest to you or get another copy? Get another copy of The Challenge of Words at our online shop. As a donation, all shop purchases go towards supporting our mission!
9. Don’t wait to feel ready
You might be waiting for motivation to strike before you act, but the truth is: action creates momentum, not the other way around. Remember those moments on course where your first instinct was, “I can’t do this”? And then… you did.
You moved forward even when you weren’t sure. Remember those moments, because those moments of resistance that come up in everyday life will feel no different. And just like you did on course, you can overcome it again. So if you find yourself feeling stuck, start anyway. Don’t let your self-doubt trick you into hanging back.
10. Remember: there’s more in you!
You’ve already seen it. The strength, clarity, resilience, and courage within you. That version of you doesn’t leave with the course. It’s in you, always. Maybe quieter at times but it’s always within reach. So when life gets heavy or challenging, remind yourself: you’ve done hard things before. You’ve faced challenges with heart and grit and you can do it again and again.
You don’t have to be fearless to keep going. You just have to take the next step. And if you fall over along the way? You get back up.
Outward Bound isn’t just something you did. It’s part of who you are now. Integration takes time. It’s okay to stumble, especially if you’re leaning forwards as you do. You’re on a lifelong journey of remembering who you are and what you’re capable of achieving, over and over again.
“We are all better than we know. If only we come to discover this, we may never settle for anything less.” – Kurt Hahn