“Once motivation flees, what really keeps you going with your goal is just being in the habit, just establishing a routine.”-Deltom
There is so much social media out there about goals. You see hashtags about goals and success. When people speak of goals, they mostly come from a motivational aspect. What most don’t know is that goals are harder to attain than the eye can see for several reasons. Why is that? I believe that there is too much rhetoric that sends messages to people that they can “do anything” or to “keep going.” There is an endless supply of inspirational quotes and pop psychology smoke screens that provide readers with a quick dopamine hit. Once the high wears off, people go back to the comfort of their habits good or bad.
These leads me to my next point which is why people don’t accomplish their goals. Statistics show that 92% of New Year’s Resolutions end in failure. This is no surprise given that people wait until a new year begins to start working towards their goals. If you start off with the mindset that you are going to start working toward a goal by a certain date, you have already placed yourself at a disadvantage because you are relying on motivation to help you see your goal through. Motivation is fleeing and unreliable. Some days I feel more motivated than others but it has little impact over whether or not I go after my goals. I go after my goals because I am committed to them. This reminds me of a time when my husband told me to “have fun” when I was on my way to the gym. The gym is a great release for me but it is definitely not always fun. It’s work that I have committed myself to and my reward comes after I have completed my workout not before.
If I solely relied on motivation to pursue my passions, such as writing this blog or pulling research to relate to topics I plan to discuss (for my podcast), I would have quit a long time ago. The problem with goals is people go into them with dreams of how they are going to accomplish them and how great things will be once they reach their goals. The journey to reach your goals is never completely how you envision it to be.
Goals need to be attainable yet challenging so they they are not boring. You're going to set little objectives to achieve that goal and the purpose of your goal is for growth.-Deltom
I am sure you have heard the phrase that it is not about reaching the destination but rather it is about the journey. To successfully reach your goal you must go into the goal with the mindset that you are going to take steps to reaching that goal. Remind yourself that overnight success is an illusion and a distraction to keep you from committing to your goals. Measure your success by progress and not by preconceived ideals of success. Be aware of the sacrifices you will have to make to achieve your goals. Explore some of the challenges to your goals so you may set a plan of how you will cope with these challenges. Most importantly, understand that long-term goals entail a lot of failures before you reach the brink of success. For example, if you want to start your own restaurant business, you are going to make many mistakes along the way before you find an organizational strategy that works best. It may take a year before your restaurant’s opening day and it could take years before your restaurant is profitable. If you are not willing to delay gratification, you will not put for the effort to see that goal come into fruition.
"Often, people are more successful with goals when they share those goals with other people because that makes the goal real and helps you solidify that you are going to follow through with this goal."-Deltom
Lastly, be sure to write your goals down. Talk about your goals with people who support you. Make your goals time based and measurable. If you don’t have a journal or planner, get one of each. Planners are great to track progress and set deadlines. When you have times where you feel like giving up, you can look back at the steps you have taken toward your goal to help you realize how far you have actually come. Journaling gives you an opportunity to examine your thoughts and question the evidence. When you start to have thoughts that are unproductive (i.e., distortions) write them down. Then think of ways that you can change your approach to your goals so that you may change the outcomes. This in turn will also help you change they way your think of your successes and failures. Once you arrive at a place where you view your failures or obstacles as opportunities, you will enter a space creative problem solving. It is then when you will began to reap the rewards of your efforts.
Mentioned in the episode:
Goal Setting Theory
https://positivepsychology.com/goal-setting-theory/
Why Inspirational Quotes Will Never Inspire You
https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/248585
21 Most Common Reasons Why People Fail To Achieve Their Goals