Why don’t more people set goals?
Most people understand that goals are important, and everyday the media 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?
Many goal setting programs like the SMART program – specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and timed give you the basics. These programs are good but they leave out an important step, and without it most people will get sidetracked before reaching their goal.
Why is this one step overlooked? Many one to emphasis the stay-positive, you- can-do-it approach and they shy away from the difficult work need to succeed. So, what’s missing?
Setting priorities.
In today’s hectic, non-stop world we are all extremely busy. Time is a precious commodity that there is simply not enough of. If you are going to set and achieve a new goal, something in your life must change. You will have to reduce, alter, or eliminate something currently in your life, in order to free up time to reach your new goal. That means setting priorities and that is not easy. The bigger the goal and the more time it takes to complete, the more difficult your choices will be.
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.
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 in your current schedule will those seven hours come from? Will you watch less TV, see your friends less often, sleep less, spend fewer hours with your family, or eliminate a sports activity 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 committed to helping you? You will need courage to succeed, will your family and friends be there to help you? 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 requires you to set priorities and make 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.” Setting priorities, and sticking to them in the face of difficulties, is an important, if often overlooked, aspect 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?
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