Why You Aren’t Reaching Those Goals

Have you ever had one of those days when you look around at your life and wonder “how the heck did I end up here?” When we’re younger, we have ideas about how our life will turn out. We think about the relationships we’ll have, creating a family, having a career, the type of lifestyle we want, etc. But things happen along the way. Unexpected things Things we don’t have control over (and some things we do). We get sidetracked, distracted, and can end up somewhere very different than we originally planned.

Sometimes we get so discouraged when we end up somewhere else that we might give up or stop making plans. But in the end, the person who suffers most from this kind of attitude is us.

When we set goals for ourselves, there can be many reasons we don’t reach those goals. As I like to say, setting goals is easy. Reaching them is another story. If goals were always easy to reach, we’d all be Olympians, or Nobel Peace Prize recipients, or doctors, or whatever else requires tremendous dedication and commitment.

But we rarely don’t reach our goals because we don’t WANT to reach them. There are a lot of other reasons that can get in the way, such as:

• We have unrealistic expectations. We are a “give it to me now” society. If it didn’t take only 5 minutes to be in a situation that you want to change, it’s likely going to take more than 5 minutes to change it. Don’t fall victim to false advertising of having the perfect (body, relationship, job, etc.) in a short amount of time with minimal effort. That’s not realistic. And when we go into goals with unrealistic expectations, we will be disappointed and often quit way too early to see any real results.
• We’re not quite ready. Reaching a goal takes a commitment of time, energy, focus, and motivation. While we may really want something, we might not be able to make the commitment necessary right now. That doesn’t mean we won’t be able to make that commitment tomorrow or next week or next year. But right now may just not be in the cards. It’s okay to not be ready.
• We don’t have the right support. “It takes a village” is a phrase that especially relates well to reaching goals. Some of us want to do it all on our own, but how’s that working for you? Chances are, not great. Having others to support you on your journey is important, whether it’s people to cheer you on, hold you accountable, provide suggestions, etc. If you don’t have that, reaching goals can be challenging.

Whatever reason you have for not reaching a goal, remember to be kind and gentle with yourself. We’ve all set goals and not reached them. But that shouldn’t deter you from continuing to set goals for yourself.

For more ideas on how to set (and reach) your goals, please join me for my next monthly FREE Telseminar, “Getting it Done: How to Set Goals (and Really Reach Them).” Simply go to the REGISTRATION page at https://krylyn.com/free-teleseminars/getting-it-done/, and enter your name and email to get signed up. Even if you can’t attend the live call, you will get access to the recording of the call, but only if you register.

Photo: Finish Line © by jayneandd