PART I – The Top-4 Common Mistakes Most People Make When Setting Goals

 

Goals. What a wonderful tool we get to use in order to assist us in making our dreams come true! Goals help us to shape our destiny, create our future and begin to experience the life we’ve always envisioned for ourselves. Goals excite us, ignites the passions within us and helps us to keep our eyes on the prize when challenging times arise. Everyone can easily get excited about being the catalyst to make their dreams finally come true. While we can appreciate the fact that achieving our goals sometimes involves making many sacrifices along the way, contrary to popular belief it’s not a perquisite nor a requirement that you endure a long, up-hill battle, neglect all other areas of your life, or that you must desert family and friends leaving you feeling ‘all alone’ as you pursue your dream. 

 

With the technology afforded us in today’s society, you’ll discover it can be a lot simpler to achieve your goals rather they be large or small, once you familiarize yourself with the proper tools to assist you. Tools that are fun to use, simple to execute and are easy-to-implement into any busy lifestyle. In fact, these ‘tools’ are so ‘simple’ that many people disregard how powerful they are in assisting them to reach their goals more quickly and consistently, that they negate to use them and thus, many wind up on the proverbial road of always setting their goals, and yet, not actually ‘getting’ to complete them. This prevents people from being able to live from the outcome of having achieved their goals. 

 

Were you aware that studies indicate that anywhere from 93% to 97% of the population do not achieve their goals? No matter how you look at it—that’s a whopping figure indeed! Do you fantasize about the type of life you would have if you’d completed your goals? Has your ‘Bucket List,’ become your ‘I’ll just ‘shuck it’ list? 

 

Here in this 4-part mini-series, we’ll take a look at the Top-4 Common Mistakes Most People Make When Setting Goals, which hinders them and in many cases, prevents them from ever achieving their goals.  You’ll be able to recognize which of these goal-killers you may be using, so that you’re able to eliminate them and instead, begin to celebrate attaining your intended goals. 

 

I’ll give you some easy techniques to jump clear over the hurdles that may have stopped you in your tracks in the past. Once you begin to utilize this information on a consistent basis with your goal-setting, you too, shall begin to join the ranks of those of us that are able to move beyond goal-setting—to Goal-Getting!

 

Goals, dreams, vision boards, bucket lists; no matter how you label them, they all boil down to one thing: People who are looking to move beyond their fears or prior protestations so that they may begin to focus more successfully on developing a road map to begin achieving their goals.  Too often in life many of us see our goals as something to do ‘someday,’ or just before they get to the ‘after-life.’ You know what I mean: After the kids are grown and then it’s after the kids are actually gone. Or after I get the promotion, or come back from vacation, or finish school, or… you get the picture. For many, goals are referred to as ‘lifetime goals,’ which gives people the impression that they have a ‘lifetime to achieve them,’ or they’re referred to as ‘bucket lists’ which indicates we only need to focus on them just prior to ‘kicking the bucket.’ Therefore our goals are kind of placed on the back burner as the years of our life roll by.  The problem with that particular way of thinking is that: ‘goals do not just happen someday when you least expect them,’ nor will your goals ‘jump out and surprise you out of the blue without any input from you.’  

 

While Vision Boards and affirmations are a great start towards beginning to realize your dreams, they are just that—a start. Focus and action will be the fuel that propels you to finally realizing your dreams. 

 

So, are YOU ready to go from ‘Goal-Setting to Goal-Getting?’  If so, check out these 4-common mistakes most people make when setting goals, so that YOU can now avoid these pitfalls and join the ranks of achievers that are living their dreams!

 

The first of the four common mistakes most people make when setting their goals is: They are focused on their goal being ‘Too Big.’  Stephen Covey stated to ‘Begin with the end in mind,’ which of course, is great advice. However, too many people conjure up the image of that ‘big picture,’ and while they are excited about that end goal, they fail to realize that it is just that—the END goal, after all of the necessary steps to get there have been completed. When you are focused on the ‘Big Picture,’ your mind also focuses on the BIG questions: The ‘how,’ the ‘when’ and the ‘who will help along the way?’ Not being able to answer these questions at this early stage of goal-setting makes people become paralyzed of the big picture and yes—even afraid of the enormity of it. You begin to doubt your dream and therefore, yourself. You wonder if you’re even deserving of such a lofty goal. Soon, you’re relegating your mind to the idea that the goal was too much for you to achieve and you begin to simply daydream about the ‘what if’s’ and resign yourself to living your dreams—only in your mind. 

 

A way to combat this goal-killer is to keep in mind the words of Martin L. King Jr., who stated, ‘You don’t have to see the entire staircase in order to take the first step.’  So if you’re one of the many people who tend to get stuck at the idea of your BIG picture, if your goals seem too big to accomplish or too far down the road for you to take the first step, remember to focus only on the steps that are right there in front of you. Not the entire staircase or the end goal. You do this, by dividing your bigger goal into ‘bite-sized chews.’ So that you’re not ‘biting off more than you can chew.’ You’re then able to complete those smaller steps that are manageable for you at each leg of your progress. This in turn allows you to begin to experience success early on, in the beginning stages which fuels you to maintain your spark of enthusiasm as you work toward your ultimate goal. Keep in mind words are powerful—therefore note that I’m saying you’re ‘dividing’ your goals—not ‘breaking your goals down.’ You don’t want to mentally use the words ‘break down’ your goals when the more affirmative ‘divide your goals’ will do! 

 

The mantra to remember the ‘Too Big’ rule is: ‘Bite-sized chews are right for you!’ 

 

 

Sherry Brantley is the author of the Amazon bestseller, ‘STEPP-Start To Exercise Personal Power-How To Create Positive Change In Your Life!’  She is a dynamic leader and trainer, known as the ‘From Goal-Setting to Goal-GETTING’ coach!  Sherry developed the STEPP program to assist people to make positive choices in their lives effecting positive change, by tapping into and utilizing their Personal Power while respecting and accepting the Personal Power of others.  Log on to www.sherrybrantley.com or www.steppbook.com.  Her email is yourdesiredlife@aol.com or call at 877-243-7043.  Read her blog at starttoexercisepersonalpower.blogspot.com.

 

**This is a 4-part mini-series entitled: ‘The Top-4 Common Mistakes Most People Make When Setting Goals,’ which also includes simple, easy-to-implement techniques so that you’re no longer languishing in the ‘wishing’ stage—and can move forward to the ‘my goals are already existing stage’ allowing you to finally go beyond being a goal-setter to a goal-GETTER! We’ll focus on each of the ‘4-Common Mistakes’ individually, with techniques to help you recognize them so that you’re able to avoid these common pitfalls.