5 Reasons Why You Won’t Hit Your Goals This Year

You have a goal. It's big, exciting, and something you feel passionate about. You know that achieving this goal will make your life better in many ways. 

So why aren’t you hitting it? Here are five reasons why you will not hit your goals this year:

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1. Your goals aren’t SMART

To achieve any goal, you must be clear on exactly what you want. The SMART framework is a helpful way of setting and monitoring your goals.

Importance of having SMART goals

S – Specific, Significant, Stretching

Specific goals are the best because they help you focus and keep a laser-like focus on what you want to achieve.

When you have a specific goal, it is easier to get motivated because your mind can only imagine one thing: achieving the goal.

In addition, when you have a specific goal, it's easier for others to help and support you in achieving that particular objective.

Specificity also makes your goal more measurable. This means that there will be quantifiable milestones along the way so that as soon as one milestone has been achieved, another can be set out for yourself or others around them.

It also ensures that if things go differently from the plan, there will be no surprises that could lead to failure mode.

M – Measurable, Meaningful, Motivational

When you set a SMART goal, it should be measurable in some way. This means that you can look back at your progress and see how much progress has been made toward the goal.

Examples of measurable SMART goals include:

• I want to lose 10 pounds in 2 months.
• I want to be able to do 50 pushups in 2 weeks.

A SMART goal should also be meaningful to you, or there needs to be more point in having it. It should help you achieve something that has value to your life, whether it's health-related or not.

If it doesn't mean anything to you personally, then the chances are good that motivation will come from somewhere else (like fear).

A – Agreed Upon, Attainable, Achievable, Acceptable, Action-Oriented

Your goal has to be something that can realistically be achieved within the given time frame.

It also has to be relevant enough that it will make sense for people who aren't involved with creating this outcome. Otherwise, there will be little incentive for them to contribute energy toward reaching said outcome.

R – Realistic, Relevant, Rewarding, Results-Oriented

Realistic. This is the essential aspect of your goal. If it's not realistic, it will never be achieved. You need to set achievable goals but not too easy or too hard.

Relevant. The more relevant your goal is to you and what you want, the more motivated and driven you'll be to achieve it. If a goal isn't relevant for me as an individual, then why would you ever pursue it?

Rewarding (or has consequences). We all like rewards. They make us feel good about ourselves and encourage us to work harder towards our goals. Goals should have some reward attached so that when we achieve them, there's something good waiting on the other side.

T – Time-bound, Trackable, Tangible

SMART goals are time-bound. That means you can see them and measure your progress in creating your goal.

SMART goals are also trackable, meaning you can record the steps you take to reach your goal.

Finally, SMART goals are tangible because they have specific outcomes that are clearly defined and easily measured by you or someone else who is familiar with the project at hand.

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2. You need to write your goals down.

If you don’t write down your goals, they don't exist.

Writing things down makes them more real. That may be why you tend to put off writing them down. Because writing something down feels like taking action (which is scary!) But when you write your goals down and focus on them, they become much more attainable.

Writing helps you prioritize your tasks and focus on what matters most. When you have a written list of action items for each goal with dates next to them and an indication of how long each should take to complete, prioritizing becomes much easier because now all tasks are equal in value by default.

There is no need for decision-making about which one takes precedence over another because everything has been assigned an order already. Also, the more specific you get with the action steps required toward reaching those goals (your "Do List), then the better chance those actions will be completed.

Why is it important to write down your goals?

Noting down your goals makes you more likely to reach them. Writing down your goals helps you focus on what you want rather than what stops you from getting it.

When you're writing your goals down, you're more likely to stay focused on them and follow through with the next steps. Writing down your goals allows you to take a step back and look at what needs to be done for those goals to be accomplished. This allows us to stay focused on our tasks instead of getting distracted by everything else that also needs our attention.

Writing down your goals helps identify the areas you need to work on and lets you prioritize what is essential for yourself. It helps you discover blind spots. You might not know what you don't know, and writing down a goal forces you to put pen to paper on things holding you back or not aligning with who you want to be.

It helps you better allocate your time. Noting down your goals is a great way to get organized and ensure you spend your time on the right things.

Another benefit of writing down your goals is that it helps you visualize them more clearly. You can see exactly what steps need to be taken for those goals to become a reality.

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3. You don't look for help: hire a coach, teacher, or accountability partner

So, you want to be successful this year. You want to hit the goals you set for yourself and achieve the things important to you. You're committed.

You can do everything on your own. You don't need a coach or mentor because they will get in the way of your creative genius and self-directed learning process. Right?

Wrong! If you plan on achieving your yearly goals, you must seek help from others who have already done what you hope to accomplish this year or at least are going through similar challenges. 

No man (or woman) is an island, especially when trying to reach a goal such as losing weight, starting a business, or even becoming more spiritual.

Importance of looking for help

A coach will save you time in the long run. You'll be able to focus on what matters most while avoiding distractions and time wasters.

A coach will help you reach your goals faster and in a much more efficient way. They are experts in their field, so they know exactly what it takes to get results. They can identify areas of weakness and help you improve them.

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4. You don't track your progress.

The easiest way to improve your chances of hitting your goals is to track your progress. If you don’t know where you are at all times, how can you possibly know if and when you have made progress?

Tracking will help you see what is working and what isn't. It will let you know when it's time to change course or adapt the plan based on the information that it provides.

Importance of tracking your progress

Tracking helps you take stock of your progress. You'll know when you've made progress and when you haven't. This can help you stay motivated because it lets you see that your hard work is paying off. It also enables you to identify areas for improvement in order to continue working toward your goals.

You can celebrate the small things. You'll notice that even small improvements are essential when you track your progress. You can celebrate these little wins and use them as motivation to keep going.

Tracking your progress is a great way to stay accountable and motivated. It’s also an excellent way to stay on track, focused, and even on task.

It allows you to measure your growth. You can notice how far you've come and how far you still have to go, which keeps you motivated. It also allows you to see what worked and what didn't, and more importantly, why they worked or didn't work.

You can identify mistakes and learn from them when you track your progress.

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5. You don't have a complete reason for hitting your goals

The last reason you probably won’t hit your goals this year is because you don’t have a reason to hit them.

A complete reason is a reason that will cause you to take action. It's something that matters more than anything else right now. It keeps you moving forward through all the challenges and setbacks in life.

A complete reason is the one thing that will make all the difference in helping you get through any struggle you face in pursuit of your goal. Think of it as a "why" behind the "what," or more specifically, “why am I doing this?”

So back to your goal setting. If you don't know why something matters enough for you to work towards it, then there's no way it'll ever get done because each time life gets tough or doesn't go according to plan you'll quit before seeing results.

You need a strong enough feeling about what's at stake and knowing exactly why it matters before going anywhere near a long-term commitment like achieving goals requires.

Importance of having a complete reason to achieve your goals

You are more likely to stick to your goals when you have a clear reason for pursuing them. It’s essential for achieving your goals, because you will be more motivated to hit your goals, which will give you the drive and determination needed to push yourself harder than ever before.

It will drive you forward. A complete reason helps you concentrate on what's important and ignore distractions. When the going gets tough, it gives you the strength and motivation to keep pushing forward.

Without being pushed, you will do whatever it takes to achieve your goal. One of the things that often happens to people who set goals is that they don't believe in themselves. That's why they go for the easy way out and stop where there's nothing left for them to do.

As you move towards your goal, there will be times when you may have to do things that are uncomfortable for you. This is where your reasons will come in handy. Complete reasons encourage you to work out of your comfort zone. The more you know why you should do something, the easier it will be for you to push through those moments of discomfort and keep going.

Conclusion

If you're setting goals for the New Year, make sure they are SMART. Use these five steps to help guide your goal-setting process and ensure that your goals have a complete reason for hitting them.

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