Setting and achieving life and career goals is one key element to developing oneself; however, many don’t set goals in a way to ensure the needed follow through and turn great plans into successful outcomes.
Why do people give up or fail at their goals? Understanding the following roadblocks will help you achieve them:
1. Ownership:
Successful people have a high need for self-determination, and you are ultimately responsible for your own behavior. You need to ensure that the change objectives come from inside and are not externally imposed with no internal commitment.
2. Time:
You need to be realistic about the time required to produce a positive, long-term change in behavior. When you underestimate the time needed to reach your goal, you are tempted to give up on the goal. If you set realistic expectations, you won’t feel that something is wrong with you when you face a time challenge.
3. Actions:
Most achievement takes longer time and requires more work! The challenge is in the doing! It is still hard to have the discipline to take actions even if you see the need to change. Remember: Real change requires real work.
4. Distractions:
Many tend to underestimate the distractions and competing goals that appear. Be assured that some obstacles or crises will emerge! Assume that distractions and competing goals will occur and be sure to build in time to deal with the unexpected.
5. Commitment:
People tend to be disappointed when achieving one goal doesn’t immediately translate into achieving other goals. You need to buy into the value of a long-term investment in your development. If you see personal change as a long-term investment in development, you’ll be willing to pay the short-term price.
6. Keep it up:
Once you achieve a goal, the work required to maintain changed behavior can be tough to face. Change is a process: you never get there; you are always getting there. Your personal development is an ongoing process that requires ongoing effort.
