8% of people achieve their goals. Consider these 5 questions to help you avoid failure.
Creating a plan is easy. Document your goals. Assign ownership. Execute.
It sounds simple, so why do we struggle so much? In fact, according to Reliable Plant, only 20% of people are willing to commit to setting goals for themselves. This means that 80% of people choose to not even try! And for those 20% who do, you start out with good intentions and lots of momentum, but somewhere along the way the excitement disappears. You go back to doing what you have always done, what’s comfortable.
Consider asking yourself these five questions.
Are you setting the right goals? Do they have purpose and value, not just for your business but to you personally? Do you feel invested in achieving them? If not, you may be setting goals that don’t resonate. Let’s look at the often-used example of New Year's fitness plans. Many people start January by stating they want to lose weight to look better, fit into that pair of jeans from five years ago, or feel more attractive. This goal is based on how you want others to perceive you, rather than for your personal benefit. Imagine if you tweaked that goal where weight loss became an outcome, but the real objective was to have more energy, less stress and sleep better. This aligns with what you actually want versus creating a goal that influences how others perceive you.
Is the “how” reasonable? Have you set a plan in place where how you execute is something you can stick with? Going back to the fitness example - you hate to run but are committing to running in a half marathon to get back in shape. The mental energy it will take to get yourself engaged in something you despise will ultimately ensure failure. It is hard enough to keep yourself accountable, why exacerbate the problem by forcing yourself to do something you hate?
Are you bored? Do you need to recharge? Repetition may help set a baseline, but after time it can lead to complacency and boredom. Changing up the goal posts or the routine can re-energize and inspire new ideas and creativity. Challenge yourself with a stretch goal, but don’t extend it so far out that it becomes unachievable.
Do you have accountability? While this is nothing new, many of us fail to stay accountable to our goals and lose the energy to keep going. Figure out your best method - engage a peer, friend, partner, a coach. Set regular times to review progress and turn it into a habit.
Do you have incremental steps that you can work toward? If not, consider breaking down your goals and celebrate achievement along the way. Like running a marathon, working first toward completing a 5k, 10k and half marathon feels more realistic than just reaching for the 26.2 miles all at once. Not only does it make the goal feel less dauting, but celebrating progress provides the euphoria to keep the momentum going.
Consider making 2023 your year to be part of the 8% who succeed!
*Source: University of Scranton
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