5 Reasons Why Goals Fail
Introduction by Host: Dr. Gee
We all have goals for our lives. Whether they are financial goals, relationship goals, or any other kind of goal, we all have something that we are striving for in our lives. But oftentimes, we are unable to accomplish the goals we set for ourselves. In this thriving lesson, we are talking about fives reasons why goals fail, and how you can overcome those failures.
Reason 1: No Clear Vision
The first reason goals fail is because there is a lack of vision. There are several reasons that you may lack a vision for your goals. You may have forgotten why you set the goal in the first place. You may have failed to provide a definition of success (e.g., I want to be rich, but haven’t determined what ‘rich’ means.). Your goal may not align with your personal values. There are many more, but these are some of the common ones.
The easiest way to overcome this failure is to have a clear goal in mind. Do not just have this sense of ‘I want to accomplish this kind of thing.’ Have a specific goal, and be able to check it off your list once you have completed it.
Reason 2: Lack of Prioritization
The next reason goals fail is a lack of prioritization. Most of us have several things we want to accomplish with our lives. If we fail to order these things, they can jumble together and trip you up. This leads to accomplishing nothing.
The counter to this failure is to order your goals. A common method of doing this is to have the highest priority goals be A Goals, and the next level down are B Goals, and so forth. Then, order the goals in each group (Goal A1, Goal A2, etc.). Now, you have a clear order of the goals you want to achieve. When you are forced to choose between one goal or another, simply prioritize the higher goal.
Reason 3: Holding on to Old Paradigms
The third reason why your goals may fail is that you are holding on to old paradigms. We have talked about paradigms before, but to summarize, a paradigm is an old way of thinking or values we have. We all have come from somewhere, but those places and people had ways of doing things that you may have picked up by proxy.
The first step towards overcoming old paradigms is to let go of fear. The old is comfortable. We know that the old ways are stable. The act of moving into new areas is daunting. Once you gather the courage to step into those new areas, you will be able to evaluate the old paradigms with a clear eye.
Reason 4: Implementation and Execution
The fourth reason goals may fail is a failure of implementation and execution. It is easy to come up with new ideas. It is much more work to execute on those ideas. There are numerous ways that ideas and goals can be executed, but you need to choose one in order to get started. Do something today to move your goals forward.
Reason 5: Lack of Mentoring
The last reason we will talk about today is a lack of guidance. If we do not have a mentor or a guide to help us and keep us accountable, it becomes very easy to quit. Most goals are hard. If it was easy to lose weight, everybody would be doing it. If that is your goal, find someone who has walked the path of weight loss before and ask them to hold you accountable.
There is an obvious counter to this failure: get a mentor. Find someone in your life to hold you accountable to your goals. Keep them updated on your progress. And celebrate with them when your goal is achieved.
Summary/Closing Thoughts
Our goals can be set back in a variety of ways. From having nebulous goals to a failure to pursue your goals to quitting before the goal is complete, it is challenging to see a goal through to completion. However, failure is not assured. There are ways to combat these challenges, and to have goals that thrive in success!
By Dr. Gee, Success and Holistic Wellness Advocate
