You set goals with the best of intentions. Your goals put you on a path to accomplish something important and you are excited to cross the finish line. However, some of your goals may be doomed to fail from the beginning. By watching out for these five warning signs your goals will fail, you will stand a much better chance of accomplishing your goals.
Warning Sign #1: Believing SMART goals are enough.
SMART goals are specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and timely. These SMART goals fall short because they don’t help you focus on actions. SMART goals create a framework that will tell you if your actions have been successful, but they don’t force you to determine what those actions should be. Wanting to lose twenty pounds in three months is a very SMART goal. However, what actions need to be taken to get there?
Warning Sign #2: Not creating daily activities.
People can become so overwhelmed by the size of their goal that they give up. Imagine counting how much further you have to run in a marathon versus how far it is to the next mile marker. The finish line is overwhelming, but the mile marker is achievable. If at the end of each day you review your actions that day you will know if you are making the right choices to achieve your goal or you can make the needed small adjustments to keep you on the path of success.
Warning Sign #3: Not reviewing activities daily.
Even if you know what you are supposed to do each day it won’t help if you don’t sit down and track your success for that day. It becomes easy to forget about daily action you have committed to making if you aren’t hold yourself accountable each day. The only way that happens is if you are reviewing your activities each day.
Warning Sign #4: Beating yourself up when you aren’t perfect.
Mistakes happen and they are an expected part of improvement. Mistakes are an indicator that improvements in your daily decision making are needed to establish long lasting change. When you measure your daily actions each day don’t become frustrated if you weren’t perfect. Simply come up with a plan to avoid the mistake in the future.
Warning Sign #5: Not telling others about the goal.
Most of us hate letting others down. When you are by yourself you might convince yourself it is okay to order that big beautiful burger. It is much more difficult to order that same burger if four friends sitting around the table know you want to lose twenty pounds. Also consider working with others who are set the same goal as you so you can hold each other accountable.
Avoiding these five warning signs will greatly increase the likelihood that you will achieve the personal and professional growth you seek. Of course, it will take more time to plan out your goals, but isn’t it worth it to feel the thrill of accomplishing those hard earned goals.