Reason Two:  We don’t set realistic attainable goals that are relevant (Your goals should be challenging and important to you but not impossible to achieve)

We often are guilty of aspiring for things that are out of our reach. It is important to aim high when creating our New Year’s resolutions, but we must be realistic in doing so. Unfortunately, some of us make plans that are well out of our reach. We then fail to understand why things don’t work out in our favor. Again you have to be honest with yourself, and assess where you are and what you have in relation to the goals you’re setting.

For instance setting a goal to get promoted to a Manager level position in a year has to have significant meaning and purpose for you personally as well as be aligned with what the job itself requires. In setting this goal, you must know that a Manager level position requires that you have a specific number of years of management level experience and a certain education level. You must ask yourself if you meet the basic requirements to qualify for the job. Additionally, you must ask yourself if this goal is important enough to you to make the sacrifices needed to reach the goal. You can’t place your hat in the candidate pool if you don’t have the experience or meet the educational requirements.

Nor can you work on getting those things if the goal doesn’t resonate with you as you will not care enough to remain committed. Some of us create goals with the mindset that we are the exception to the rule. Planning goals in this manner more often than not will set you up for failure and a lot of disappointment.  Again we can’t create a New Year’s Resolution to purchase a new home if the thought of home ownership doesn’t interest you, the responsibility that comes with home ownership doesn’t fit your current lifestyle, you have not repaired your credit, saved money for a down payment, or even secured steady gainful employment that will allow you to qualify for a home loan.

In essence what you end up doing is hoping that a miracle will happen rather than setting an attainable and meaningful goal and working for it. As they say faith without work is dead, and plan without action is simply a wish or a dream unfulfilled. Your goals must be relevant. They must have meaning and purpose so that you stay connected and committed to your plan to achieve your goal. The framework and intent of your goals must first benefit you and your life.

Reason Three: We don’t set a definitive timeframe. (Not establishing a deadline results in an ongoing unachieved goal)

There must be a beginning and an end time for accomplishing a goal, if not it is highly likely that you may never achieve it.  A lot of us are guilty of purposefully leaving out a designated timeline because that holds us accountable. It keeps the goal loose and vague. It allows us to start and stop time and time again. It also allows to use anything and blame anyone for our procrastination, for our mistakes, and failures large and small. Setting a definitive timeline keeps us honest, ensures accountability, and provides us a sense of accomplishment as we work our way towards completing the goal. Your timeframe has to strike a balance, in that it should create a sense of urgency for you but not be so stringent that it create undue stress.

As long as there is a New Year on the horizon, we will continue to make resolutions to improve something about ourselves or our lives. A great percentage of us will continue to fail at reaching our goals without a commitment and a clear concise plan. When creating your New Year’s resolution or any other goal remember to include S.M.A.R.T planning. It is critical and is the difference between success and failure.

BMWK, Are you planning S.M.A.R.T?