Why Goal Setting (So Often) Fails

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Goethe said it best: "Knowing is not enough, we must apply. Willing is not enough, we must do." And this year could be your finest yet… when you crack your own success code. When you figure out - who you need to be - what you need to trade - and how you need to organise yourself and your resources so that success is not just possible but CERTAIN. This is a level of playing that is light years beyond goal setting. Contrary to what you may have heard, goal setting is typically not enough. Becoming the person you want to be, demands much more than just setting goals. Having a goal is one thing. Knowing what it will take to achieve it is something else. And that's where many people fall short. They fail to interrogate what it's going to take to achieve their most important goals. Time passes by. Often little progress is made, year after year. Why? A big reason is because your brain doesn't have CLARITY about what are the actions you need to take, in what sequence and under what contexts to take them. It's like a person blind-folded, spun around 5 times and left wandering around a field at night, trying to find their way out with no helping hand. It's possible to find your way out, but without some clear markers it's going to be a tiring challenge. Interrogating your goal statements shines a bright light, not just on the goal itself, but the entire ecosystem in which you are pursuing the goal. Your life. And how it needs to be; for the most important results to show up. Not by accident. But by design. Without clear signposts it's natural in today's technology and always 'on' world for your attention to be captured by other things. So we find endless things to distract ourselves. And through our inaction we let precious time pass by. Days. Months. Years. What could be achieved in 90 days becomes something that is stretched out over years. Sometimes decades. In fact most of time, I suspect people's most important verbalised goals are never achieved. Not because they never set a goal. But because they never realised what goal setting is for (something I'll cover in a future email.) Achieving your goal requires – a fresh look. A fresh look at what must be so… to bring the result(s) that you want to fruition. With the… - right thinking - right actions - right arrangement of resources almost any goal will bow towards you. It starts when you question the status quo. Turn the limitations you've accepted, on their head. Think through the challenges you face. There is almost always a way to get to where you want quicker, easier, in a more enjoyable way. But it requires looking at things differently. For now, answer: - What goals am I committed to achieving in 2014? List out your top 3 most important goals. For each goal ask: - Why do I really want it? If you can't think of lots of reasons right away, chances are the goal statement is someone else's desire for what your goal should be. Tread carefully. Get clear on what you think perusing this goal will get or give you. Then challenge the presumed benefits by asking "Will this goal REALLY give me a, b, c benefits? Be totally honest here. If you are unsure say so. The clearer the desire; the easier it will be to take action without needing to 'jack yourself' up with ra-ra statements. - Will this goal create an inherent sense of happiness and fulfillment by achieving it? Many goals will fail to pass this test. If so, it may a good time to jettison them. - Who will I need to become? You aren't likely to achieve some new stretch goal by simply doing more of the same. You will most likely have to stop doing many things and start doing some other things. Each goal will demand specific behaviours. Are you committed enough to actually do them? - What will it cost or what will I have to trade, in order to achieve this goal? Some goals will require FAR more effort, time and energy than what you feel it will give you in return; so don't take the journey if you aren't happy to pay the price. There is always a price for every goal, even if you can't see it right away. Leverage the knowledge and experience of others who have done it to find out what that is BEFORE you pursue it. After you've got some intelligence on what's involved ask yourself: - Is pursuing the goal still worth it? If it is, keep it. If not discard it. You can reconsider again in the future if you so decide. Once you've figured out if the goal is worthy of your time and energy AND if you are willing to pay the price to get it, then it's time to get really clear about how you need to organise your inner world and resources to bring this goal to life. As a living breathing experience in your life. Not something you dream or talk about. But something you live and breath every day. More on that in a future post. To your success, Tom