Transcript of a Brian Tracy YouTube video explaining five common reasons people fail to achieve goals—being too vague, not measurable, unattainable, irrelevant, or lacking a time frame—and giving corrective advice and concrete example phrasings to make goals SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, time-bound). Ends with a CTA offering a free guide and asking viewers to comment about unmet goals.
Five reasons you're not achieving your goals and how to overcome them People with clear, written goals accomplish far more in a shorter period of time than people without them could ever imagine. Brian Tracy We've all been there feeling fired up to work towards our goals, but then failing along the way. Not achieving a goal can be discouraging and might deter us from setting other meaningful goals. Instead of feeling discouraged when we don't immediately reach our goal, however, we should take some time and reflect on why we didn't meet the goal so we can learn how to grow from the overall experience. Smart goal setting is the best way to ensure you'll reach your goals, and there are a few easy steps you can take to set better goals and then meet them. Here are five reasons you might not be achieving your goals and the best ways to fix those problems. The first reason you might not be able to reach your goals is that they are too vague. Many times people set goals that are just too vague, and you might think to yourself, I'd like to get in shape or it would be really great to have more money in my savings account, and sure, it would be great, but unless you outline your goals more specifically, you're probably not going to reach them. Specific goals are helpful because when you spell out exactly what you want to do, it's easier to envision yourself doing it and to actually go through the motions. Instead of saying I want to get in shape, try saying I'm going to work out three days a week and stop drinking soda. Just like that, your goal has transformed from something vague that you'd like to do into something concrete and specific that you're going to do. Another reason you might be struggling with your goals is that you're not quantifying them. A common mistake when it comes to goal setting is that your goals aren't measurable. Can you evaluate your goal and measure your progress? If not, it's probably a good idea to revisit and tweak your original goal. For example, if you were to say, my goal is to save more money, that's difficult to measure. What does more mean? That goal could be interpreted in many different ways, and you might pat yourself on the back for saving $10 when really $10 can't buy you very much at all. But if you were to say that your goal is to save $5,000 by this summer, it's easy to track your progress. Then you can regularly check your bank account to see how close you are to that $5,000 mark, and along the way you'll stay motivated because you will see how close you're getting to your goal. The next reason is that you're setting unattainable goals. Setting goals is exciting. You might have grand plans such as becoming a millionaire or building your dream house, but if you set the bar too high, you're not going to reach your goals and you'll feel disappointed in yourself and burned out. An easy way to combat this is by setting goals that are achievable. For instance, let's say you want to build a dream house. Saying I want to build a dream house for my family in the next six months is most likely not an achievable goal. Building a house takes time, so a more realistic goal might be I'm going to find a contractor and make a budget. Once you've achieved that goal, you can think of the rest of the process and decide what your next realistic goal might be. Another reason may be that you're setting goals that are irrelevant to your life. Sure, you might like the idea of moving to New York City or the Caribbean, but is that goal actually relevant to your life? Achieving that goal may be fun, but if it doesn't move you further down the road in your overall plan for life, it wasn't really worth it. That's why you need to make sure your goals aren't a waste of your time. Each goal should have a purpose behind it to help make it relevant. Instead of moving to the Caribbean just because the blue water looks pretty. A better goal might be, I want to move to this particular city because there are so many more opportunities for jobs in my industry. And the final reason you may be falling short on your objectives is that you're not adding a time frame requirement. Adding a deadline to each goal you set is essential. When you add a deadline to your goals, you'll be much more motivated to work towards them and ensure you reach them before your time period is up. But what does this look like? It's simple. Instead of saying I want to hire two more employees for my company, say I want to hire two more employees for my company within three months. Then you'll be more motivated to pursue and reach that goal. If you're ready to start setting better goals, check out this free guide that's jam packed with actionable tips to help you achieve your goals. We want to hear from you and our question today is have you ever set a goal that you were not able to reach? What was it and how could you have made it more attainable? Leave a comment below and Brian will follow up with you. Thanks for watching. And remember, as Brian always says, if you want to change your future, take action. And take action now.
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