Let’s review what we fail in setting goals.
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“I will quit smoking.” Five days later, the stress takes over and you do it again.
“I’m going to grow the store’s sales by 20% this year.” The store closed six months later.
Surely you feel identified with these sentences, either because they happened to you personally or because you know other people who have seen their New Year’s resolutions stay in them just a few days or weeks after our suggestion.
New Year’s resolutions are as old as time, according to Michael Hyatt, the great leadership guru. Unfortunately, for most of us, these purposes don’t last long. Why?
For some, they think so little that in the first few days of the year they think they have failed. According to a study by the University of Scranton, only 8% of people in the US are successful. This is quite daunting, especially since some of you have probably already stopped coming up with new goals because you think you won’t achieve them. That’s not the attitude!
Here are the five reasons Michael and Megan Hyatt point out as culprits for failing our intentions:
1. Loosely defined purposes
It is not enough to say that you want to be a better professional or improve your health. Your wish alone will not change your life. You have to define it in terms of something to act on. A vague purpose doesn’t help you know where to start in order to achieve it.
Goals have to be specific. For example, if you want to make more money, you need to set a number.
2. Boring purposes
Goals should be interesting, exciting, and preferably challenging. To achieve a goal successfully, you must have intrinsic motivation.
It all depends on the fact that if we don’t understand why we are trying to achieve a certain goal, we are likely to get lost on this path. Now, think about the resolutions you have set for yourself and evaluate what it is about? What will I gain if I achieve this goal or what will I lose if I don’t? Does it stimulate you?
3. Purpose too simple
Well, the third reason we miss our goals is because they are too easy. While it may seem contradictory, it isn’t. While we’ve always been told that the goals we set should be realistic, that doesn’t mean they should be easily achievable. Being realistic doesn’t mean being conformist, in other words, bet high and you will win more.
Goals have to be outside of our comfort zone, as the expert says. There are three areas:
- The first is the comfort zone, which is where realistic goals lie. We are mistaken by setting goals that are very close to our current situation and viewing them as improvements to a particular situation. However, if we don’t feel obliged to put extra efforts to achieve them or to motivate ourselves, there are many ways to fail in the end. these “easy to achieve” goals.
- The second is the zone outside of our comfort. This is where you start to feel fear and insecurity and you doubt if you can achieve it because you’ve never done it before. This is where you should try to set your goals.
- The last is the illusory area. If we suggest something in this area, since it is barely reachable, we demotivate ourselves and leave ourselves.
Our brains push us to protect ourselves and set ourselves ambitious goals just because we fear failure or fooling ourselves. Do not let it happen!
4. Too many goals or goals that are too ambitious
The fourth reason we fail is because our goals overwhelm us because they are too many or because they are very ambitious goals. You need to work diligently to set goals and prioritize in order to work more efficiently.
Michael Hyatt explains how important it is to focus your efforts. If we focus on several goals at the same time, we can achieve them much more effectively.
5. We fail because of our intentions because we forget them
It is important to always keep the goals in mind so as not to lose the north. That is why it is advisable to check them regularly. Not only does this help us remember if everything is on the right track or if some adjustments are needed.
Ready to achieve your goals?
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