Achieving Goals
Why Do So Many People Get Stuck?
January is notorious for goal setting and having a fresh start but what can commonly occur is as the weeks go by and we get deeper and deeper into the year, those New Year’s resolutions and those goals we set on January 1st slowly melt away and our life as before takes over. Perhaps not entirely, I applaud you tremendously if you’re sticking strong and true to those goals, but the truth is it’s very easy amidst all our best efforts and well intentions, that life carries on largely as it did prior to January 1st. So why is that? Why do so many people get stuck, or fall back to past behaviours, or never really follow through with their new objectives?
The truth about goals is that they require more than an intellectual belief in your conscious mind. They also require an emotional commitment in your subconscious mind. And you have to go after changes that you really want.
1) The Want
A year ago I woke up as an entrepreneur having spent almost two decades in the corporate world. For me, there was nothing more I wanted than the ability to help other people. The feeling was scary yet the goal I was after was so exhilarating. I wasn't going to let my own limited belief or what others thought of me, stand in the way of going after something I so deeply wanted. My goals were big, my desire was stronger, and each day I was powered up and guided by the life changing content that I teach. If I was going to teach people how to go after goals so big, I for one had to show them that I had used the content myself to power up an idea that I so badly wanted.
The thing about goals is if we don't create ones that we REALLY believe in, that we really truly want, then we're always going to get distracted, not persist and let our senses dictate where we're going in life.
"When the want is weak, you’ll quit at the first obstacle." This is the most common breakdown of goal setting. If it’s not truly coming from you, if it’s coming from a place where you want to impress, or it’s for someone else, or you think it’s something you “should” be doing, it won’t stick and it won’t be achieved. For me, there were many obstacles I faced to get my business up and running but when I thought about my end vision and the impact I could make on other people's lives, I was back on track with my want, my vision, my GOAL.
Now let me pause by saying that although the closing of a year and fresh start of a new one is a great opportunity to reflect on changes that you’d like to make, the reality is you can make a change whenever you are committed to something in your subconscious mind. That’s part of why it was important to me to write about this now and NOT at the end of last year or the first week of the year. It’s essential to not get down on yourself for “failing” at your goals, and rather recognise that if your not following through with them, something is broken. Through teaching this program, I’ve found these top 3 tips are essential to creating goals you’ll be committed to and can actually achieve:
2) Persistence
There's another tool we need to leverage to achieve big goals, and we need it every single time; Persistence. Make persistence your most well-developed habit. Persistence cannot be replaced by any other quality. Superior skills will not make up for it. A well-rounded formal education cannot replace it. Nor will calculated plans, nor a magnetic personality. When you are persistent, you will become a leader in your industry.
You must give these two concepts priority in your life ... wants and Persistence. Make your want big and you will persist. Decide what you TRULY want and you will be persistent. “If the want’s big enough, the facts don’t count.”
3) Decision Making
Decisions, or the lack of them, are responsible for the breaking or making of many a goal. You can virtually eliminate conflict and confusion in your life by becoming proficient at making decisions. If you have established a goal that is something you truly want and therefore can be persistent about achieving, then you need to make clear and complete decisions along the way of getting to that goal.
Last October I enrolled in the CIBC breast cancer run 6 days before the event. As I signed up for the race I was asked what my fundraising goal was. It was in that moment that I made the DECISION that I would raise 10k. While the thought was scary, I didn’t let the HOW stand in my way. I also didn’t listen to that voice in my head saying that I hadn’t done this before and the idea was crazy. I closed my eyes and visualized myself raising that money for breast cancer and how good it would feel to cross the finish line with that big contribution. After committing to that number I mobilised every muscle in my mind to go after that goal. Nothing was going to stop me and 6 days later I received my 100th donation to get me to that big goal of 10k.
Decision-making brings order to your mind, and in the end....your results.
So choose a goal you truly want, be persistent about going after it, and make decisions that will bring you closer to achieving your goal. Simple right? The thing is, it really can be if you can tap into the awareness of yourself in your environments and with others to unhook unproductive behaviours that aren't helping to propel you forward.
The results for myself and my clients this past year have been profound and I'm thrilled to be offering another session for Individual Coaching starting January 22nd. Contact me for additional information on pricing, scheduling and what to expect from my program or visit my website for more!