20 Jan 3 reasons your goals might fail
At the start of a new year, we all come down from our holiday sugar high and say “Ok, I’m ready to get this year on track.” Then we make a lengthy list of all the ways we plan to make this year be the Best. Year. EVERRRRR!!!!!!
And then, along comes life.
For most of us, it doesn’t take long. Two to three weeks after making these deep and heartfelt commitments we feel our enthusiasm start to wane. It’s harder than we thought it would be, or we forget why it was so important to make the commitment in the first place.
If this has happened to you, I’m here to tell you you’re not alone. Only 8% of people who set resolutions ever complete them fully. There are good reasons that your goals might fail:
You’re fixing something that’s “wrong” with you.
Any action you take based on feeling bad will be temporary. Saying “I’m broke” may compel you to take action today, but if you don’t see results over time, you’ll progress from “I’m broke” to “I’m lazy” to “I’m incompetent.”
There’s nothing wrong with you! Instead, choose which actions you can take today that align with your bigger vision and focus on those. (If you’re not sure what your vision is, you can read my short book on this topic.)
You put too much stake in being disciplined.
When I ask people why they haven’t achieved their goals they often say “I’m not disciplined” or “I’m lazy.” They tell me how much better their lives would be if they only had more willpower.
I’m not buying it. Discipline is a RESULT of success, not the cause. If you believe that having discipline is a vital component of achieving your goals, you’ll be frustrated and give up every time your discipline fails. Don’t set up a barrier to success such as “I have to be disciplined to be successful.” Instead, ask yourself, “What is my resistance to doing this task?” Clear the resistance, and you won’t need discipline.
You don’t set yourself up to win.
I get it. The sky is the limit and anything’s possible. But if you haven’t made consistent sales calls in 6 months, it’s highly unlikely that you’re going to suddenly start spending two hours a day on them.
Time after time I’ve seen people strive for something way out of reach, and give up. The question I ask is, “What would be a win for you?” The answer might be “Make one sales call a day.” Do that!
The success you dream of is within reach, and you can create it in 2021. Next week’s blog will reveal additional pitfalls and how to overcome them to create consistent, sustainable, breakthrough results all year long.
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