5 Fantastic Ways to Fail At Goal Setting
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By Donna L. Johnson
The new year is right around the corner and you’re gonna own it! That’s right – 2012 belongs to you. Just like 2011 and 2010 and 2009.
You get where I’m going with this, huh?!
Every year at this time, women all across the world set out to conquer big things. They start off with lofty ambitions and lots of enthusiasm, but usually end up overwhelmed and discouraged.
Without sounding like a bad “you can have a better period” commercial, it doesn’t have to be that way. Don’t set yourself up for failure by taking unrealistic vows you can never keep.
To make the most of this year and years to come, steer clear of the following goal setting traps:
1. Setting Too Many
Avoid proclaiming to make a total-life overhaul. Instead, work on one area at a time. Pick a priority and start chipping away at it. Once you see results and feel up to moving on, go for it.
2. Not Being Specific
How many times have you written down, “Lose weight.”? OK great. How much? How many pounds/inches are you striving to lose over what period of time? If you want to make more money or increase blog subscribers, figure out the magic number and break it down to how many you need each week/month/quarter to get there.
3. Verbal Only Commitments
If you didn’t bother to write down your weight loss goal, you were already destined to fail. No, this isn’t cutting-edge information. However, if you hear it enough, maybe you’ll actually pick up a pen and piece of paper. A crucial step in making anything you desire a reality.
4. Making New Ones
Don’t feel obligated to turn over a new leaf. I talked about this on my Facebook page. A new year doesn’t automatically mean new goals. You may need to assess the ones you’ve already set and approach them differently so they can be accomplished.
5. Ignoring What You’ve Done
Why settle for stopping to smell the roses when you really should be buying yourself some?! I mean think about it for a minute. Despite what the inner critic wants you to believe, you reached major milestones in 2011. Oh – you forgot to reward yourself and celebrate? It’s OK. Do it now. No matter how far you feel like you have to go, if you got up and did something, you’re one step further along. Don’t ever forget or neglect to acknowledge it.
Now be about the business of making your life better. One goal, one change at a time.
Donna L. Johnson, is The Unemployed Entrepreneur® and has been blogging for The Work at Home Woman since January 2010. Summary of professional experience: 15 jobs by the age of 22. Her written word hustle is a mix of business street smarts, lifestyle, and controversy. She takes a stand on things she’s passionate about without being afraid of backlash. When Donna isn’t writing, speaking, and reading, she visualizes being on the set of her dream job as a TV talk show host. Follow her journey at www.iHiredMe.net and hit her up on Twitter: @iHiredMe.
I am guilty of some of these things. I need to write the goals on paper so I can better monitor my progress. I think this is a key point. Great tips!
you must write them down…there’s no getting around it.
Donna – thanks for a timely reminder!
yeah…i figured this one would be timely. :) thanks for reading!
Great advice on goal setting.
You may also want to check out a free ebook on goal setting called “Goals! How to Get Everything You Want – Faster Than You Ever Thought Possible” at http://www.goalsontrack.com/index/goals_ebook