Did you find success with your 2017 goals?  If you didn’t, let me tell you why. However, let’s first agree to define a goal as reaching toward something we desire.  Each January brings an influx of desires, wishes, and promises to ourselves and to others.  For example, every January, gyms are full of people who have resolved to get fit.  Maybe after binging on sweets and alcohol for the last three months of the prior year, they make a promise to work on their own wellness and undo all of the damage they did.

Unfortunately, getting out of shape didn’t happen overnight and it will take time to get back into shape.  Therefore, when the majority of people fail to see instant results, they become frustrated and stop trying.  Seems like the same can be said for nearly any resolution made.  Ultimately, we fail when our desire to change is overshadowed by our willingness to stay the same. Click To Tweet Consequently, here are my top reasons we fail and how to overcome our own objections to becoming successful in achieving those desired results.

You stopped caring.

Point blank.  Much as you may want to, you just don’t care anymore.  After all, you can buy larger clothes, save money by purchasing generic coffee, you can sleep later if you don’t have to be at the gym early.  Sound familiar?  Subsequently, when the effort to move forward becomes shadowed by apathy, you can kiss your goal and therefore success, goodbye.

How do you stay focused?  WRITE DOWN YOUR GOAL(s). Begin by putting your thoughts in writing and hang it somewhere you see it every day.  Better yet, make multiple copies and put them on the bathroom mirror, in your car, your purse, your pajama drawer, in the kitchen pantry.  Ultimately, this will be a constant reminder of your desired goal and help you to stay on track.

You didn’t believe in yourself.

You never believed you would be successful. Initially, you made a goal because you felt like you should, not because you actually thought you would reach it.  As a result, you wanted to test the waters and see how you would do without really putting in your all.  Sound familiar?

When I started my home-based business, I originally gave myself 3 months to find success…that soon changed to six months and now I am going on five years.  Why?  Because I realized that growth is ongoing and I am continually learning and pushing my own boundaries. There are times when I believe in myself wholeheartedly and there are times I feel as though I have no idea what I am doing.  So, how do I get back on track?  If you want to pursue this train of thought further, see my blog post on broken thinking and how to fix it.

Affirmations.

One of my favorite shirts says “fake it till you make it.”  You have to walk the walk and talk the talk.  I have learned that repeating affirmations truly does help me to believe in myself and what I am doing.  You truly have to envision your end result before you can even take the initial steps to reach that goal.

Pinterest has amazing affirmations for virtually any goal you are looking to meet.   I know it may feel awkward to use them if you haven’t tried them before, but trust me, once you believe in yourself, you become unstoppable!

You failed to make yourself a priority.

In January you were on fire and worked daily on meeting your goals.  You had post-it notes of your to-do plan everywhere you could see them and you talked about your goals to anyone who would listen.  However, February came around and you found yourself being drawn into more activities and by May, you had forgotten about your own priorities.

This is easy to do as we get busier and our calendars quickly fill up.  At this time, you begin to make yourself a priority by scheduling yourself in your planner.  This is critical if you find yourself slipping on your goals.  Find a time slot and book time for YOU…and keep those appointments.

You let other’s dictate your decisions.

We have all been there.  It is easy to succumb to the pressure of a good friend or loved one and we get suckered into an activity we are not so sure about.  Maybe it was a networking group or a business opportunity.  Perhaps it was a new gym or book club.  Regardless, we didn’t really think it through, however, we decided we would give it a go…because we felt pressured by someone else.

Here’s the scoop.  This will never work unless you are all in. Get out.  Say no. Let go of the guilt.  Bye Felicia.

You got lazy

Right?  Let’s be honest.  Sometimes it just takes too much effort to keep going.  It takes work to stay on task.  You must have vision, passion, and forbearance.  There must be a deep desire to want to reach a destination, regardless of the roadblocks or life events.  Things will happen.  Suddenly you become very ill or require surgery or you may experience an overwhelming loss.  You may doubt yourself and/or the process.  Regardless, YOU are the reason you have not successfully met that goal.

Every year more dreams die due to failure to continue the process than any other reason.  When we get lazy, we no longer care about the outcome, we stop believing in ourselves, we stop making ourselves a priority, we let others dictate our actions and we fail to meet our goals.

Do You really want Success?

Are you ready to make a resolution or two for the New Year? You are if you are committed to being a better you.  Resolutions and goals are promises to ourselves that we will do better because we deserve better.  What if we treated ourselves as we do a valued loved one?  Would you continually disappoint someone important in your life? No?  Why are you willing to do that to yourself? After all, you are responsible for your success.  Don’t leave that up to chance.

I invite you to go to: http://cindijeffrey.wtfitworks.com  and join the movement.  This is a free app that will provide you will motivation, fitness regimes, healthy eating tips, and opportunities to win prizes.  Remember, we are stronger together.  Feel free to send me an email via the contact form below to set up a free consultation to talk about your own 2018 goals.  I would love to help keep you accountable.