Why Don't More People Set Goals

On Wednesdays, I share my thoughts on Learning and Professional Development.  Thank you to John Bishop of Goal Setting for Students, author of today's post.

Why Don’t More People Set Goals   

If you are going to set and achieve a new goal, something in your life must change.  

In today’s hectic, non-stop world we are all extremely busy.  Time is a precious commodity and there is simply not enough of it.   That means setting priorities and that is not easy.  We understand that setting goals are important.  The media often shows us examples of people who have achieved great things because they set and achieved their goals.  So why don’t more people set goals?

Setting and achieving goals is not easy.  If it were, more people would be doing it.

Setting priorities is the one step most goal setting programs overlook.   In order to free up time to reach your new goal, you will have to reduce, alter or eliminate a current activity.  Many goal setting programs give you the basics.  These programs are good but without fully understanding the importance of setting priorities many people will get sidetracked before reaching their goal.

Let’s say your goal is to go back to school and finish the education you were not able to complete earlier in your life. You want to start slowly, so you take two courses and you’ve figured the time commitment for class and homework activities will be seven hours per week.

What part of your life will you change to reach your new goal? Where will you find those seven hours? Will you watch less TV, see your friends less often, sleep less, spend fewer hours with your family or eliminate a hobby you really enjoy, etc? There are only so many hours in a day; something has to give if you are sincere about accomplishing your new goal.

Are you ready to make the necessary life style changes to succeed?  Are the people closest to you willing to help you? Will they help you find the courage and determination to reach your new goal? Ralph Waldo Emerson once said: “Whatever you do, you need courage. Whatever course you decide upon, there is always someone to tell you that you are wrong.  There are always difficulties arising that tempt you to believe your critics are right.” 

Setting and achieving goals is a wonderful and rewarding experience. It propels us forward in life and challenges us to reach new, sometimes unimagined, heights. But, if it were easy, more people would be doing it. Goal setting is hard work.  It means setting priorities and making some difficult choices.  George Matthew Adams said: “In this life we only get those things for which we hunt, for which we strive, and for which we are willing to sacrifice.”

Goal setting programs will help you learn the fundamentals of how to set and achieve goals. They teach you the importance of defining the challenge correctly, writing down your goal, developing an action plan and setting a completion date.  The good programs teach you how to remain positive and determined and how to overcome obstacles.  Many will teach you to set realistic, attainable goals and then build your self esteem on the successful completion of your goals.

Setting priorities and sticking to those choices, even when it is difficult, will give you the determination to succeed.   It is an often overlooked but extremely important part of goal setting.

Points for Discussion:

1. Are you good at setting priorities on what is important in your life?
2. How can your friends help you succeed?
3. What does courage mean to you?

www.GoalSettingForStudents.com

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Comments

[Doug]

If you are going to set and achieve a new goal, something in your life must change.
That is so true, I guess this may account for many people not setting goals; they do not want to change. There is also an implication that setting goals is an indication that something is not quite right as it is; this realisation may be something many people do not like to face up to and, therefore, do not set goals.