5 Mistakes You Make While Goal Setting
There are many articles written about the success rates of New Year Resolutions. The numbers ranged from about 60-80% failure rate by the second week of February, just six weeks into the new year. Those odds don't feel promising and it may make you wonder, why are so many people failing at their goals?
#1 - Your Goals are Too Vague
I have been working with people on goal setting majority of my career, this is one mistake almost all of them make.
- "Eat healthier"
- "Save more money"
- "Read more books"
These are all GENERAL goals that will lead you to nowhere specific. You can't have a general goal and expect a specific outcome. You'll need to narrow your focus and make your goal very specific.
- Minimize sugar intake to 30 grams per day
- Save $3,000 by June
- Read 1 book per quarter
These goals are more focused and will make tracking your progress a lot easier.
# 2 - No Method of Measurement
Without a method to measure your goal, how will you know when you have made progress? In order to keep you motivated, you'll need to have a system to oversee your progress. In order to choose a system, you'll have to note how many variables need to be measured. If you were minimizing your sugar intake, you may only need to measure the sugar in the foods you eat. But if you were focusing on calories, protein, carbs, etc. you may need a more complex system of measuring. You could download an application on your smartphone to help you log your food. These applications often calculate the all the mentioned variables for you.
When figuring out how to measure your goals, keep the system as simple as possible, you don't want it to feel like work or else you will not maintain it. If you are a visual person, make your progress tracker visible. You could have a calendar where you fill it in by color. Red for days you didn't meet your sugar intake goal. Green for day you did meet your sugar intake goal.
# 3 - Too Much, Too Soon
Humans are not big fans of change, at least not all at once. While you may feel motivated to quit caffeine COMPLETELY, quitting cold turkey may not be the best route. Try to implement slow change by having 1 cup of coffee a day instead of 2. Then slowly cut out more and more as you get used to it. Impatience can ruin our ability to achieve our goals, stay patient. Sustainable change can take time.
# 4 - Quitting Because You Messed Up
You aren't perfect, you are going to mess up. Maybe your goal was to go for a 30 minute walk every day, but this morning you woke up in a funky mood so you skipped it. Then the next day it was colder than usual, so you skipped it again. You are going to have off day or weeks...and that is okay! Accept the fact that detours will happen, plan for them! Create a plan for when you stray off course, what will help you get back on track? Talking to a certain friend? Having a long bath? What makes you feel re-energized?
#5 - Knowing the Root Cause of Your Motivation
Why are you so set on making X amount of money this year? Losing X amount of pounds? What do you think it will give you? Go deeper than "I will be able to buy more things" or "I will look good with a six pack." Why do you want a six pack? Are you looking to feel more confident? Are you looking to feel seen? Accepted? There are often emotional connections to our goals, we just need to take the time to discover them. Hint: Goals tied to money are often about wanting to feel "free" or "secure."
Change can be intimidating and exciting all at the same time. It feels good to be working toward something each day. However, these past few years have been intense for most of us. We have survived some wild things over the years. If you aren't feeling motivated to take on any big goals, than don't! Think about how you can meet your basic physical/emotional/mental needs. Start with eating nutritious food, getting enough sleep, drinking enough water. Small things you can do to help yourself operate at full charge. Then, just maybe, you might feel more motivated to go after bigger goals.
