5 Reasons You NEVER Achieve Your Personal Goals

The journey to achieving your personal goals is an emotional roller coaster.

We get all motivated to achieve them then they vanish away much like your patience in a long drive-through.

We all seem to set these grandiose goals but most of the time we don’t achieve them.

I’m sure you’re thinking “It must have something to do with me.”

Don’t worry you’re not alone in this issue.

I even struggle with hitting my personal goals, it’s hard to have self-discipline.

But if it makes you feel any better 92% of people that set New Year’s resolutions don’t achieve them.

So the odds are stacked against you from the very beginning.

This is unfortunate but there is a bright side.

Since everyone seems to struggle with personal goals it makes it easier to come up with solutions.

There are common solutions to this common problem and I’m here to shed some light on what you’re doing wrong.

Too Vague

Ever try to hit a goal you can’t see?

I personally have vision problems and I used to play lacrosse with no contacts, so trust me when I say it’s almost impossible.

You can apply the same exact concept to your personal goals.

I am almost positive we have all said “I’m gonna eat healthier this year.”

But what does that mean exactly?

You need to say things like “I’m only going to get takeout once a week” or “I’m going to eat one fruit every day.”

Do you see how specific those were?

Here’s a quick test to know if your goal is too vague or just right.

If your target goal can be turned into a simple yes or no question then it’s perfect.

For example, if your goal is to work out three times a week then your question would be “did I work out three times this week?”

That is a simple yes or no question, there is no room for confusion on whether or not you’ve been consistently achieving your goal.

Getting the hang of it? Alright, good.

Too Big

Big goals can be just as scary as walking through a dark parking garage at 3 AM…..alone.

Humans naturally have a negative mindset which means when we set a goal we always believe we are incapable of reaching it.

So a big goal could kill our confidence from the beginning.

Start small and work your way up. Small goals will help you reach your big overarching goal faster.

You will be able to use the excitement from achieving your first small goal to achieving your next small goal and so on and so forth.

The small goals really add up so you’ll reach your big goal in no time.

So instead of saying I want to get straight A’s this semester, say I want to get an “A” on my next assignment.

Getting an “A” on every assignment will lead you to straight A’s for the semester but only focusing on one assignment at a time sounds less intimidating.

No system

I am a huge advocate for creating systems for your goals.

A goal is an end product while the system is your action plan.

You want to focus on making your system a habit that will not only help you reach your goal but maintain your goal.

When we only think about the goal it’s easy for us to revert back to our old ways unless we find a natural way to incorporate a system into our lifestyle.

Let me give you an example of a system and a goal so you can see the difference.

Goal: Having a cleaner house

System: Putting everything in its correct place when you are finished using it

You see how the system helps you reach your goal but also becomes a part of your daily routine.

So focus more on creating a good system to achieve your personal goals. You will see major results in no time.

No Accountability check

Have you ever taken a class where homework wasn’t mandatory? But the teacher still expected you to do it.

I have and let me tell you, I wouldn’t do a single homework assignment. And now you know why I didn’t score high on my AP Calculus exam.

The moral of the story is that it’s hard to reach your goals if you aren’t held accountable for slacking.

The easiest way to be held accountable is to choose an accountability partner.

An accountability partner is simply a person you check in with in regards to the progress you have made towards your goal.

A majority of people hate disappointing others so that fear of disappointment naturally motivates you to continue working towards your personal goal.

No one wants to tell their mom they ate an entire cake after they told her they were gonna start eating healthy the day before.

You need that accountability partner to keep you motivated and to remind you to keep progressing each day.

No Dedication

Make sure you are trying to achieve your goal for the right reason.

You are not going to achieve a goal if it’s meaningless to you. It is called a personal goal for a reason. It’s for you.

Being personally dedicated creates a form of intrinsic motivation and that’s the key to success.

You have to be personally motivated to achieve your goal or it will never get done.

It’s like going into work every day and you find your job completely meaningless. You will not try to excel, you will not try to stand out, because you have no motivation.

Now let’s say you have a job you’re passionate about then you want to do the work because you’re dedicated. You have that natural drive that is different from the average person.

No one can ever take away your personal motivation to improve yourself, so use it to your advantage.

Now Go Achieve Your Personal Goals

Now you are an expert on what steps you need to take to achieve your next goal.

If you forgot, let me give you a quick recap.

Make your goal specific
Do not set large goals
Focus on the system to achieve your goal
Find an accountability partner
Make sure the goal is for you

If you follow these 5 tips then you should be well on your way to success.

If you have any helpful tips, put them in the comment section below. I would love to hear what strategies you put into place when progressing towards a goal.