Tag Archives: goal-setting

Place Your Goals Under Arrest!

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As we prepare for the Christmas holiday and the end of the year, many of us may be measuring how successful we’ve been in achieving our goals.  If you haven’t experienced the growth you expected this year, it’s time to figure out what’s really holding you back.  We all start out the year with great intentions, and I would even venture to say that most of us even have the appropriate level of commitment in the beginning.  However, something happens and we allow outside forces to stop us from continuing to pursue our goals or we are stopped by something within us.

I have recently been reading a book titled, An Enemy Called Average, and in one section of the book, the author has a list of questions that he charges the reader to answer.  While reflecting on the things that often stop me when I think I’ve hit a stride, I decided to raise the following questions to you:

  1. What one decision would you make if you knew that you would not fail?  –  FEAR
  2. What one thing should you eliminate from your life because it’s holding you back from reaching your full potential?  –  DISTRACTIONS
  3. What good thing have you committed to do that you’ve quit doing?  –  ENDURANCE
  4. How have the people you respect earned your respect?  –  RELATIONSHIPS
  5. What are your gifts, talents and strengths?  –  PURPOSE

Take some time and answer these questions for yourself.  In your responses, I’m sure that you will find the answer to what’s holding you back.  Next to each question, I’ve listed a factor that has to be addressed if you want to achieve success.  Let’s take a closer look below:

FEAR – At some point, we all have dealt with the fear of failure.  F.E.A.R. is merely false evidence appearing real.  However, when we experience it, it feels very real.  Make a commitment to yourself to move in spite of the fear.

DISTRACTIONS – I know that I’m not sharing any breaking news when I say that life moves at a rapid pace and is often full of distractions.  To achieve anything in life, you have to learn to move past life’s distractions.

CONFIDENCE – Become your own cheerleader.  There will be times when you may be disappointed to find out that the people you thought were in your corner are not.  Naysayers are a reality, but you have to believe in yourself and know that the naysayers can’t keep you from your destiny.

ENDURANCE – I think endurance and consistency go hand in hand.  Don’t worry if you find yourself falling short in this area because endurance is developed over time; you have to work at it.  No one runs a marathon without practicing.  The same concept applies when we set out to accomplish our goals.  The more we work at it, the more endurance we’ll build over time.

RELATIONSHIPS – If you’ve followed my blog, you’re familiar with the phrase, “iron sharpens iron.”  Check the company that you’re keeping.  If they are not goal oriented, it very well may be the reason you’re having trouble achieving your own.

PURPOSE – This is merely my opinion, but if your goals are not aligned with your purpose, you may have a difficult time reaching them.  I think our inner-compass prevents us from moving forward.  If you feel like a hamster on a wheel, it may be time to assess if your goals are derailing the journey to your destiny.

There’s officially one month left in 2011.  If you have fallen short in accomplishing your goals, spend some time reflecting on the questions included in this post and make a commitment to start again.  In the book, An Enemy Called Average, the author states, “Thoughts lead to purposes; purposes go forth in action; actions form habits; habits decide character; and character fixes our destiny.”  Let’s adopt this principle, recalibrate and try, try again.

A New Year, A New Beginning

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The beginning of a new year is always a time of reflection and goal setting.  As we enter a new year, most people experience one of two emotions:  elation in achieving their goals, or dread because they didn’t.  As a society, we often view things as all or nothing.  The problem with this approach is that it doesn’t allow us to complete a fair assessment of our performance. 

Think back to when you were in school, most of us had letter or number grades; pass or fail grades were a rarity.  Yet, this is often how we measure ourselves on a daily basis.  The pass or fail approach to measuring success often leads to self sabotage because we berate ourselves when we fall short.  So if you are elated because you’ve had a great year and achieved your goals, let me join you in celebrating your success!  Rock on!  On the other hand, if you didn’t make the cut and are a bit depressed, this article is for you.

If you’re reflecting on your year and you’re not too happy with your performance, or are embarrassed because you did not achieve your goals, this is your heart to heart moment.  Let’s consider the following:

  • Did you make progress toward your goal?  For instance, your goal was to lose 20 lbs, but you lost 5 lbs.  A mile is comprised of 2,000 steps; what step are you on?  If you can honestly say that you are one step closer to your goal, cut yourself some slack and celebrate.  Focusing on the perceived failure will not help you succeed
  • Did you expect to succeed?  This is a tough question because we all know that the answer should be “yes”, but I ask that you search your heart and answer this honestly.  The definition of self-fulfilling prophecy states that what you predict or believe will happen becomes your reality.  In essence, if you believe that you can achieve your goals; your behavior aligns with your beliefs to ensure success
  • Was your goal a SMART goal (specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and time-related)?  In the book, Rags to RICHES, we discuss goal setting.  Although the discussion is related to financial goals, the principles are universal.  Although one key ingredient to effective goal setting is ensuring that your goals are realistic, I urge you to dream big.  Don’t downsize your dream.  Remember, if you can believe it, you can achieve it.  If you understand that big dreams must be digested “one bite at a time”,  you can create the realistic stepping stones that will lead to your desired result

Ultimately, if you did not achieve the success you wanted in 2010, we’re now in 2011 – a new year, a new beginning.  If you continue to focus on what was not accomplished in 2010, you are wasting precious time because you cannot go back, but you can move forward.  As you make plans for 2011, celebrate every success no matter how small.  Remember, what you focus on expands.  Successful people speak well of themselves to themselves.  From a biblical perspective, there is nowhere in the Gospel that you can reference where Jesus puts himself down.  If He didn’t do it and we are made in His image, we should not do it either.

The New Year should be a time of celebration and great anticipation.  Don’t allow yourself to become a victim to your past.  Cindy Trimm, author of Commanding Your Morning, says it best:  “As your deepest driving desire is, so is your will; as your will is, so are your deeds; as your deeds are, so is your destiny.”  Remember that goal setting is not an all or nothing concept.  The New Year is a promise of a new beginning.  Embrace your new beginning and choose success.  Happy New Year!