5 reasons you're not meeting your personal goals with solutions for each 🎯

Do you ever set goals and then never reach them?

You’re not alone.

According to researchers at Scranton University, about only 8% of people actually complete their goals. It’s not for lack of trying. And it’s not because we’re incapable.

It’s because we may be thinking of goals the wrong way.

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What is a Goal?

A goal is a line you’re trying to cross. It’s a target. It’s a destination.

At least, that’s what people say.

But I think goals are more like stepping stones, not finish lines.

Whether or not we achieve our goals, we should come away from the experience with just that—experience.

The knowledge gained from having tried.

A goal then is a marker along a greater path, not a final destination.

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An Epic Goal into Tiny Pieces

This past Spring, I set a rather lofty goal for myself — complete a triathlon before I’m 40.

Side Note: A full triathlon is 2.4 mile swim, a 112 mile cycle, and 26.2 mile run.

Mind you, I set this goal fully aware of the following inescapable truths:

• I haven’t actively run more than a few miles since High School

• I’ve never swam any meaningful distance in open water

• I’ve never competed in any type of bike race

As of the time I made the goal, I had about 2.5 years to complete it.

The key here isn’t that I set the goal.
It’s what I did next—chop it up into far smaller pieces that build on each other.

For me, the goal is not the finish line of the marathon. The goal is who I’ll become by going through the fire to get there.

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A Goal in Motion Stays in Motion

Remember that goal, the one where I said I’d complete a triathlon?

Yeah, that tiny goal.

• The first step was to sign up for and complete a distance I’ve run before—a 5k (or 3.1 miles)

• The second step was to do the same for a distance I’ve never run before—an 8k (or 4.97 miles)

From June until November of this year, I changed my habits, purchased new gear, and became more serious than ever about running.

The first step I took was (you guessed it) ask Google.
“How to train for a 10k”
I wrote “10k” because I knew “8k” was actually an oddity of a race distance.

Good old Google told sent me down the rabbit hole and I ended up purchasing a Garmin watch with coaching support.

Then I did what you do when you want to run farther—I ran.
Over the course of five months, I ran 3 to 4 times per week.

Two easier, shorter runs.
One, longer run on the weekends.

One foot in front of the next.

Each week, I pushed myself a little harder.

When race day arrived, I was there to meet it with a smile. Two days later, I signed up for the next one. This time though, we're going for 13.1 miles.

I’m no superhero.
Anyone can do what I’ve done.

All it takes is a path, some time, and the will to keep going.

A goal in motion stays in motion when you treat it well and yourself fairly.

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5 Reasons You’re Not Meeting Your Goals

Reason 1 — You have too many goals

Quick Fix: Focus on one goal, then move to another.

Don’t be the octopus of self-development trying to juggle eight goals at once.

You are far more likely to finish a goal if it’s the only one you have in front of you. Life is busy enough without trying to carve away spare time to work on one goal, let alone several.

There will be time for other goals.

Finish this one, make it a part of your lifestyle, then move to the next.

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Reason 2 — You're not consistent enough.

Quick Fix: Show up for 30 minutes each day for your goal rain or shine until it's done.

You may not be making headway towards your goal because you’re not showing up for it. Sure, you may be ready to go on Day 1, but what about Day 25? Day 100?

It’s simple, but not easy to show up consistently.

But once you create a pattern, it will get easier. At some point, it will become second nature. You’ll still have bad days, but you can push through them.

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Reason #3 — Your goal isn't clear enough

Quick Fix: Make your goal S.M.A.R.T:

• S-pecific

• M-easurable

• A-chievable

• R-elevant

• T-ime-bound

Simply put, you need to give your goal parameters or else it will be next to impossible to navigate. Metrics and specificity ground a goal in the real world.

The goal: “I want to be healthy” won’t cut it.

The goal: “I will workout 3 times per week, eat no more calories than 2,000 per day, and get 8 hours of sleep per day for 30 days straight” will.

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Reason #4 — Your goal is too complicated.

Quick Fix: Break it down into manageable steps.

Epic goals are cool, but the bigger the goal, the more steps you’ll need to achieve it. Going from 1 to 100 on the first day will lead to chaos, confusion, and giving up far too soon.

Instead, break your goal into at least 3 to 5 pieces (more if you need to).

Ask yourself: “What is the first thing I need to do?”

Do that. Then ask again and do that.
Keep it simple by keeping it small.

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Reason #5 — It's not the right goal for you.

Quick Fix: Take a harder look at your goal and why you’re doing it in the first place.

Maybe it's not the right goal in the moment. Or maybe there's a better one altogether. But sometimes you just need to let go and choose another path.

• What is the reason you’re going after the goal in the first place?

• What will happen if you achieve it?

• Who will you become?

If you don’t have satisfying answers to all three, let it go.

It’s not the goal for you.
And that's ok.

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TL; DR

• Most people don’t complete their goals

• Goals are stepping stones not finish lines

• Goals in motion aren’t glamorous

• Don’t take on multiple goals at once

• Show up a little everyday

• Clarify your goal

• Break your goal into tiny steps

• Make sure you’re going after the right goal for you

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Recent Finds

💡 Ideas from the creative wilderness to help you build a better life.

Mental Health

• Ilana Degann — You are worth so much more than the hours you are productive (Video) | It turns out that in an average work day, the average person gets about 3hours of work done. So if you feel like you’re not being an absolute productivity machine, it’s likely not all you. Email. Meetings. Discussions. Water Breaks. Lunch. All of these things add up. If you start to feel overwhelmed because you’re “falling behind,” don’t let the idea cause you to spiral. I bet you’re doing great!

Productivity

• Alex Demirel — How to enter and maintain flow state (Video) | It’s easy to get distracted in this “constantly on” world of ours. Studies show that any type of distraction can immediately break us out of what we were working on. It takes several minutes to get back into what experts call, “flow state.” It’s called that because your mind is able to easily flow through the process of what you’re doing. But introduce literally anything else to the mix (e.g. social media, co-worker questions, email) and the timer starts over before you can get back to that state of optimal productivity.

Motivation

• Casey Niestat — i got beat up at the NYC Marathon 2022 (Video) | Casey Niestat takes on the NYC Marathon. Like other Casey videos, this is an interesting deep dive into the experience of what it’s like to run the grueling 26.2 mile race. I particularly enjoy the way Casey tells this story. It’s hopeful, honest, and full of motivation to try something difficult.

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A Quote I'm Pondering

💬 Motivation for the days ahead of you.

“Saying I might be wrong” is not a mark of ignorance. It reveals the absence of insecurity. Arrogance is a shield for a fragile ego. Humility is a sign of self assurance. It takes confidence to admit uncertainty. The people who are most sure are usually the most insecure.”

— Adam Grant

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Thank you for reading! I’m grateful you’re part of this community and that you’ve taken time out of your busy schedule to read this week’s newsletter. 🙏

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That's all for now.

Stay creative, my friends—and have a great week!

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