6 Reasons We Don't Achieve Our Goals

Goals are one of the most important aspects of business and life in general. Everyone seems to understand that, however, an alarming amount of goals are not accomplished. Last month, we gave you our top 6 goal setting tips. Here, we are going to look at 6 reasons why people fail at their goals and what you can do to succeed.

Why We Don’t Achieve Our Goals

Of course, there are many reasons we don’t achieve our goals. You are probably used to hearing inspirational speakers and motivators berating you for letting yourself off the hook, giving up too early, making excuses, etc. While these things are often true, there are other slightly more complicated reasons which you may find causing you problems.

6 reasons we don’t achieve our goals

Here are the top six reasons even motivated, successful people don’t achieve their goals:

1.        Not having a strong enough "why": What does your goal mean to you? Why did you set it? 
   Have strong convictions about why you are doing what you are doing. 
2.        Taking on too much: It’s probably unrealistic to read every night, start exercising, start a diet, spend more time with your kids, be twice as productive at work, mediate three times a week, and learn Mandarin all at the same time. Try focusing on 1 or 2 goals and incorporate more as you can.
3.        Not focusing on what you want: Similar to number one: pick a goal you actually want. Motivation and stick-to-itiveness will come much easier. 
4.        Not having a deadline: almost all goals should be contained in a set framework of time. Then at the end of the allotted time, fail or succeed, you can reevaluate and adjust or go in a different direction as you see fit.
5.        Lacking a plan: The old cliché “a goal without a plan is just a dream” is true here. Plans help because they give you the road map you need. Additionally, if you can’t bother to create a plan, you aren’t likely to bother sticking to your goal for long.
6.        Plateauing: If you start a diet or exercise routine, you will usually see and feel immediate results. However your body adapts. Losing the first 15 lbs. is easier than the next 15 lbs. Understand that at some point it’s going to get tougher and the gratification will be longer in coming, but that means you’re actually adapting or in other words, change is actually happening.

While there are other reasons, these 6 constantly hinder us from reaching our full potential.

Sometimes Things Don’t Work Out

In his book, “How Champions Think” Dr. Bob Rotella explains that champions (or exceptional people) aren’t as interested in other people’s evaluations as their own self-evaluation. He explains that it’s more important to measure success by the “process” than by the “outcome.” Because the outcome, the thing that other people see, is often affect by luck or circumstance. Sometimes the goals you set are not under your control. The only thing you can truly control is how hard you work at the plan you established to accomplish those goals. For instance, a down economy or new regulation may affect your bottom line, but if you know you did everything in your power, you do not need to feel disappointed.  

At Sandler Salefish we understand how important goals are in business and in life. If you would like more tips or guidance contact us today. We specializing in sales training, management training, forecasting, and sales best practices. Learn more about how to apply the principles from Sandler Training Solutions by contacting Sandler Salefish today.