Most of us struggle to keep our goals on track after we set a goal that seems so achievable at the time. Even when we can see the end of the road with a new reality that gives us hope for tomorrow, we pause and lose precious time and opportunities. During those times, we truly believe that there must be some special quality that everyone else has. Other people seem to hit the ground running toward every goal without every missing a step.
We continue to work on the all-important mindset and have amazing ideas and plenty of ambition. Everything around us points to achieving the goals we set, and we can just feel the excitement pulsing through our veins.
With so much going for us . . .
Why do we achieve so few of our goals?
“You can do anything if you set goals. You just have to push yourself.”
~ RJ Mitte
Goals Are Easy to Write
Anyone with ideas will come up with a few goals associated with the desired result. In every part of life, we are able to see a new tomorrow in our minds eye:
🐾 Weight-loss
🐾 Dream house
🐾 College degree
🐾 Career change
🐾 Start a business
Each of these categories sounds familiar because of the commercials we see, the products we buy and the people in our lives.
Even a goal-writing novice knows that S-M-A-R-T goals follow specific parameters
🐾 SPECIFIC
🐾 MEASURABLE
🐾 ACHIEVABLE
🐾 RELEVANT
🐾 TIME-BOUND
Countless articles and books have been written to reveal the importance of using specific words that reveal exactly what we are going to do and by when. Books and classes are conducted every year and thousands of people read and attend.
With so much emphasis on writing goals, how do we lose focus in a matter of days?
“I believe in the saying, ‘If you aim at nothing, you’re going to hit nothing.’
So if you don’t set goals, then you have nowhere to go.”
~ Taylor Lautner
What To Do Today To Get Started
We could have the greatest goal in the world, but that giant goal is so daunting that we won’t even start. The entire journey is lost in the unknown. Few people have the patience to start at the very beginning of the process. We won’t even ask a question to find out if someone else could help us to develop the first steps we must take.
ASSERTION: We believe that we SHOULD know how to take that first step, and we refuse to admit that we are caught in limbo.
If you were working with a youngster who wanted to do something amazing, would you demand that he/she knows exactly what to do?
Of course you wouldn’t do that.
Adults tend to believe that all knowledge is imparted once full adult height is reached. No one in this world can know exactly what to do today to reach the next phase in the quest to achieve a goal. Assumptions steal our dreams because we refuse to Ask More Questions.
Some people say that you can ‘back into today’ from the goal you have set.
I am not entirely sure how that is possible when I don’t know what is required along the path to achieving my goal.
What I really need is a template for larger steps, so that I can get started today.
“What you get by achieving your goals is not as important
as what you become by achieving your goals.”
~ Zig Ziglar
Stay On Track Out In the Middle
As time passes, the importance of achieving the goal can become exhilarating when we can see progress. Milestones are set so we know how much work is left to do before we achieve the goal. Without a goal tracking mechanism, we are unable to get excited about the fact that we really could reach this goal.
Consistent effort is not easy to maintain when life’s events interrupt our efforts. With milestones, we can see times that will require additional effort to make up some of the lost progress. In the middle of the journey, the plan will reveal how much remains to be done.
Adjustments can be made without missing the final deadline in the goal achievement. Without the right tool, the time slips away and the hope of meeting dates will vanish. Every goal is worth the investment to get the best possible tool that reveals progress.
Avoid the Crunch
Once we can see that final deadline, the scramble begins. Every effort is focused on recovering all of that lost time when we couldn’t see our progress against those milestones. In every project, endeavor and dream, the list of tasks to complete in that mad dash to the finish line.
Does everyone in the world go through this exhausting non-stop final push?
Surely, somebody somewhere has found the answer to overwork and mediocre results just so we can say that we hit the deadline. Sort of.
Our big dreams are so easy to state:
🐾 Learn a new language before our dream vacation
🐾 Retire in a different location before the age of 60
🐾 Sell investment properties at the optimal time in each market
🐾 Increase long-term savings to 30% of gross income within three years
🐾 Publish a new book each year over the next five years
Each of these goals requires focus on the right activities each day to bring about the desired outcome. With the right template, the journey begins on time and progress is measured against pre-selected actions and the timeline. We do not have to struggle with recovering from lost time when we stay on track and complete the work outlined in the plan.
Everyone involved will enjoy the effort invested all along the way without dreading the crunch, which will not happen. Completion of the outlined tasks will ensure that adjustments can be made well ahead of the final days and weeks before the deadline.
Become a High Achiever With Even More Goals In Life
In every area of life, we would reach heights never before imagined when we keep our goals on track with the right tool. We can create leverage between our interests and obligations when we know our habits and write our thoughts at critical points on the journey. Procrastination is normally the result of the unknown. Our progress in countless areas can be tracked and improved when we get started right away and never waver from the destination.
“A winner is someone who recognizes his God-given talents,
works his tail off to develop them into skills,
and uses these skills to accomplish his goals.”
~ Larry Bird