Monday, February 13, 2012

Six Reasons We Fail at Achieving Our Goals

I read an interesting article by Michael
Hyatt in which he asked these questions, “ Think of your biggest goal right now. What
is at stake if you achieve it? What is at stake if you don’t achieve it?” It
made me think of the results of our actions. We often have a goal that we want
to achieve but for some reason it just never happens. I think into my own life
and see big goals that I achieved and those that have not come to pass. What’s
the difference in those that were accomplished and those that were not? I have
listed several reasons I have not met a goal I had envisioned. Maybe some of
them are your reasons.

1.
In the famous Aesop fable a grasshopper has spent the warm months singing while the ant (or ants in some editions) worked to store up food for winter. When that season arrives, the grasshopper finds itself dying of hunger and upon asking the ant for food is only rebuked for its idleness. I too have wastes the “summer” away instead of doing the hard work to achieve the goal. I was just plain lazy.
2.
The goal just seemed too big to ever conquer.
This is often the issue we may have with losing weight or making a change in
our business. The real issue may be the spoon is too big. We just want to solve
the issue or attain the goal in one quick act. You don’t run a marathon in one
step, a 5K or ever run around the block. You do it in many steps.
3.
What an embarrassment if you fail! Friends and
associates find out you failed and immediately you are embarrassed. You’re the only person to ever fail to meet a goal, NOT! We should be embarrassed for not going for our big goals.
4.
We are actually afraid of the consequences of
our success. What will I do? How will I handle it? What if, what if, what if?
It’s a lot easier just to dream about the successful goal accomplishment than
to deal with the success once it is achieved. Or is it?
5.
When we have run out of options, when there is no other course, when time has run out, and the results will be dire, we strive for the goal. We need that push over the edge to get there. We have no more excuses. We go for it. This choice is often fatal to our success. We may have waited too long to go for the goal and there is not time, or enough resources, or enough energy to accomplish the big goal.
6.
Just in a rut from the day to day grinds of life. Getting up in the morning, traffic, customers, employees, money, details, family, appointments, activities, and all the other day to day stuff just wears on the spirit and the
body over time. It’s easier to avoid taking anything else on even if the
results would be awesome.
I’m as human as anyone and suffer from these six reasons for
not successfully conquering every one of my big goals. If I stop for a minute
or two to see why I have not met them, I can lift myself up to meet the next
big goal and sometimes realize that the “big” goal was not necessary for me to
be successful or to be happy. Think about it and let me know your thoughts.