Getting Real With Your Goals

How many times have you set a goal?

How many of those goals have you accomplished?

For those that went unaccomplished do you know why?

It’s time we got real with our goals and our intentions behind them. It’s great to have goals, really it’s amazing. Goals show us that we are working towards something, that we see where we can improve/change.

​They give us purpose, or at least give our purpose some direction. Some of them are personal, some are professional but regardless they are amazing to have. Wouldn’t you agree?

As amazing as they are we don’t always accomplish the goals that we set for ourselves. We talked about this a bit in Resolution Time.

You’re probably thinking that I’m going to say that all goals could be accomplished...and while that’s true that all goals could be accomplished, it’s not realistic.

Sometimes when we set a goal and have good intentions to reach it, our lives get set in a different direction and that goal no longer lines up with our lives.

For example, if you set a goal around your job and later received a promotion, or an opportunity that results in a complete change in your career. That goal is likely to change and therefore be one of the goals that went “unaccomplished”.

 But what about the other unaccomplished goals? Why don’t we reach the end with them?

Several reasons...a major one is that they have no value.

If it’s important to you you’ll make time for it. I’m literally writing this article at work while I have some down time because it is important to me. I wake up at 5am every morning to go to the gym because it’s important to me. I spent 2 days working on my social media planning for 2020 because it’s important to me. I read a book (or 3) to my toddler every night because she is important to me.

I’ve been talking about valuable goals for a while now, and I mention them a lot because they’re one of the first steps to holding yourself accountable.

To set valuable goals you have to know what your values are. This can sometimes take a little soul searching. While I can help you dig deep I cannot tell you what’s valuable to you. You have to be honest with yourself to find that out.

Now let’s get real with more than just the lack of value behind those unaccomplished goals;

No motivation/discouragement

By motivation I don’t mean those motivational tapes/seminars that are supposed to get you fired up to reach your goals. I don’t care for those personally. Yes they have their purpose, however that purpose is short lived and we need more than that.

What I mean by motivation is more about your own mental state. How you think about your goal.

Do you dread getting started on it? If you do it’s going to be much harder to remain motivated. A positive attitude, a real one not one you fake, sets you up for success.

Do you have or see images of that goal regularly? Seeing what you want for yourself is a constant reminder that it’s within reach. This is why so many people love to create vision boards.

Are you keeping a record of your progress? If you’re making physical changes progress photos work wonders. 

I recently experienced a low moment regarding my fitness. I felt like I wasn’t making any progress. Thankfully I’d been taking photos each day. Upon looking back on an older photo and a photo from that day I was able to see that I had actually made some progress.

You can also do this by journaling when the goal isn’t something that can be measured physically. Being able to reference where you were allows you to see just how far you’ve come.

Is your environment discouraging? The places we frequent and the people we are around can be discouraging for many reasons.

A major one is that they just don’t support your goal. Imagine that your goal is to read a new book each month. Yet your home or work environment is loud. Or your friends keep teasing you about reading, encouraging you to go out with them rather than stay in and read your book(s).

This would make reaching that goal very hard. Most would give up. Some would push through and others would change their environment entirely. The last two require a mentality shift, and it’s not as easy as it may sound.

​Nonexistent plan
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When you set a goal do you also set a plan? Do you know how you’re going to get from where you are when you started your goal to where you want to be?
If you know where you’re going but don’t know how, it’s a lot harder to get there. Imagine trying to get from New York to California with no map or GPS. It would be pretty hard to do. Also you may end up in Iowa or Minnesota instead.

Knowing how you’re going to reach your goal makes it much easier to actually reach it.

Lack of resources

Not all goals will require resources outside of what you may already have...but some of them do. Especially when it comes to business, education, investing and other financial goals.

Sometimes the resources can be easily found online with a quick Google search. However there are times where you need to dive deeper to get the resources required. Or the resource may be out of reach financially.

This is a difficult situation and if you’re in this situation you may have to get a bit creative. You could invest the extra time to sift through the knowledge online, and DIY as much as possible. The alternative is hiring someone to help or do the work for you. (ex. A coach or a contractor)
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Comfort Zone

Comfort zones are where dreams and goals go to die. Therefore when we choose to stay in our comfort zones we reduce the probability of us completing our goal.

The whole point of a goal is to do or accomplish something greater than what we currently have. This means that change is going to occur, and with change you cannot remain in a comfort zone.

You have to pick a side.

Outside sources-AKA The Blame Game-AKA No Accountability

So you didn’t reach your goal because your boss made you stay late at work. You didn’t go to the gym because your kids kept you up all night. Your dog ate your homework…

Excuses.

Some may think that I’m harsh for saying that but that’s what they are, excuses. Going back to what I said before...if it’s important to you you’ll make time for it. Too often we don’t hold ourselves accountable and instead blame our situations, the people around us, time and other things that we have no control over.

You are the only person responsible for your life. Yes outside factors do come into play. However they are not a reason for you to give up on a goal you’ve set. These things are a reason to adapt. Change the plan but never the goal.


Why haven’t you reached some of your goals? Is it a reason not mentioned? Share your obstacles in the comments, and if you’ve overcome them or not.

For help setting, or reaching your goals book a session with me. Together we will take a deeper look at what really matters to you, and how you can turn your goals into accomplishments.

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