Why Don't More People Set Goals?

 There are many reasons, including: 1. A pessimistic attitude--Always seeing the pitfalls rather than the possibilities. 

2. Fear of failure--What if I don't make it? People feel subconsciously that if they don't set goals and if they don't make it, then they haven't failed. But they are failures to begin with. 

3. A lack of ambition--This is a result of our value system and lack of desire to live a fulfilled life. Our limited thinking prevents us from progress. There was a fisherman who, every time he caught a big fish, would throw it back into the river, keeping only the smaller ones. A man watching this unusual behavior asked the fisherman why he was doing this. The fisherman replied, "Because I have a small frying pan." Most people never make it in life because they are carrying a small frying pan. That is limited thinking.

 4. A fear of rejection--If I don't make it, what will other people say?

 5. Procrastination--"Someday, I will set my goals." This ties in with a lack of ambition.

 6. Low self-esteem--Because a person is not internally driven and has no inspiration.

 7. Ignorance of the importance of goals--Nobody taught them and they never learned the importance of goal-setting.

 8. A lack of knowledge about goal-setting--People don't know the mechanics of setting goals. They need a step-by-step guide so that they can follow a system.

 Goal setting is a series of steps. When you buy a plane ticket, what does it say?

•  Starting point
•  Destination 
• Class of travel 
• Price
•  Starting date
•  Expiry date

 If you ask most people what is their one major objective in life, they would probably give you a vague answer, such as, "I w ant to be successful, be happy, make a good living," and that is it. They are all wishes and none of them are clear goals. Goals must be SMART:

 1. S--specific. For example, "I want to lose weight." This is wishful thinking. It becomes a goal when I pin myself down to "I will lose 10 pounds in 90 days." 

2. M--must be measurable. If we cannot measure it, we cannot accomplish it. Measurement is a way of monitoring our progress.

 3. A--must be achievable. Achievable means that it should be out of reach enough to be challenging but it should not be out of sight, otherwise it becomes disheartening.

 4. R--realistic. A person who wants to lose 50 pounds in~30 days is being unrealistic.

 5. T--time-bound. There should be a starting date and a finishing date. 

Goals can be: 

1. short-term--up to one year.

 2. mid-term--up to three years. 

3. long-term--up to five years. 

Goals can be longer than five years but then they become a purpose of life. And having a purpose is very important because without one, it is possible to develop tunnel vision, where we are only obsessed with achieving our goals. Goals are more easily achieved if they are broken into small ones.

 Life is hard by the yard,

 but by the inch,

 it's a cinch.                     --Gean Gordon