Are your goals yours?

Goals are not always YOUR goals!  I challenge you to think really think about what I just said.  Do you really want the goals you have set?  Consider this scenario: your goal is to become an attorney, but you don’t enjoy it and often times struggle with your classes.  Upon really looking at the goal of completing law school you realize it is your parent’s goal for you to be a lawyer, not yours!    This scenario is played out in more goals than you think.  When goals are not yours and you do not buy in and commit to them you will not achieve them or achieve them as quickly and effectively.  How can you really tell if this is a challenge that you have with your goals? 

Ask yourself these questions:

·         You are unhappy with no desire to achieve your goals

·         You are not achieving your goals.  No matter how hard you try. 

·         Do you have goals that work against each other?

·         Do I really want this? 

If you answer yes to any of these then re-write your goals!  Make them yours, achieving it will be much easier and you will be happier.  Make your goals your goals!

To let go of a goal or not…

Most of us are taught that you should set a goal and go for it until you achieve it.  Is this really a beneficial way to succeed?  I personally do not believe so.  Many times half way through a goal I will realize that it is the wrong goal, or that it needs a small change to really make it my goal.  We change as we grow and learn, so how can the goal that was right for us 4 months, 6 months or 2 years ago be the right goal now?  Goals should be ours, which means they should change as we do.  This is not wimping out or being weak – it is strength to admit we were headed in the wrong direction and that we need to move forward.  Does this mean if we are not achieving something that we automatically change the goal?  NO, it does mean we need to evaluate why we are not meeting that goal and take steps to solve the problem.  That could mean a new goal or a new approach to reaching that goal.  Your goals are your goals: adjust them, rewrite them and achieve them in a way that works for you!