Where’s the year gone? The end of 2015 is just about here and wherever you look Christmas decorations are popping up. Are you where you set out to be? Many people get to this time of the year and feel defeated. The goals or resolutions they set seem like a lifetime ago and they have made little if any progress towards achieving them. Some people are fired up and ready to go hard until the end of the year and reach whatever targets they have set for themselves. Which one are you?
If you’re off track and struggling to achieve your goals then you’re not alone. Instead of beating yourself up and looking back at the year with regret, why not spend the time figuring out where you went wrong so you don’t have to repeat the same thing next year?
Here’s several questions you can ask yourself to help you work out why things didn’t go to plan and why you failed to achieve your goals.
Was this a true goal or a fleeting thought?
You decided that maybe pole dancing or motor cross is your passion. It looks pretty exciting on the internet and it will be a great way to meet new people. Super excited you rush off and buy all the gear you need, ready to dive headlong into this new activity. Three weeks later your love for your new ‘passion’ is starting to fade and whatever feeling you were hoping to get from the experience still hasn’t turned up. This is the time to be totally honest with your self. Did I really want this? What is the feeling I am trying to get from achieving this goal?
Was this my goal or did I try to be, do or have something that others wanted for me?
Is what you are chasing something that you actually want? Maybe you set the goal to follow a specific career path like becoming a lawyer or a musician. Why do you want this? Is it because other people said you should, you have a natural talent for it, or maybe people have invested heavily in you to push you down a certain path and you don’t want to let them down. If this sounds like you, chances are you don’t own your goal. It is much better to stop and be honest about what you want than live a life of regret, always feeling unfulfilled.
Did I commit to a plan or just half-heartedly set out to ‘try’ and achieve it?
A phrase I hear often, much to my annoyance, is “I’ll try my best”. While it sounds like an attempt to be positive and have a go, what it actually does is create an excuse upfront. Some people even use it as a declaration that they have no intention of following through and reaching the result, but that they will end up at the shortfall of their best wherever that may be. Commit. Don’t give yourself an out at the beginning to make yourself feel better when you fail.
Was I clear on the end result desired?
So your goal was to lose weight. How specific were you about the amount you wanted to lose? Was your aim to reach a certain weight, to lose a specific number of pounds, or to fit into a special outfit that would prove you had made it? If your goal was just to lose weight, then you failed to achieve your goal at the planning stage. Clarity is everything when it comes to goal setting.
Ok, so now you need to actually do something. No point just glossing over this and then moving on. Go now and grab a pen and paper, your phone or your laptop, whatever works for you. Sit down and ask yourself these questions. Why did you fail to achieve your goals? Do the work. You are worth spending the time on and trust me you will probably be surprised what comes up for you. Would love to hear what you discover about yourself so feel free to share in the comments below.
