Why Goal Setting Fails

By: Michael Searles

There exists one all important reason why so many goals fail to eventuate for very determined and well intentioned people.
Fortunately a ‘quick-fix’ solution does exist and is simple to apply.

FORGET OUTCOMES
To achieve more of our goals we need to change part of our planning from day one. It is in the planning and subsequent doing where we come unstuck.
Too many times we think of our dreams and desires in terms of future outcomes only.
Now before the logical and practical left-brain starts kicking in with, “Well of course our goals are desired future outcomes! If they were not we wouldn’t need to set a goal in the first place’, and your logical thinking is technically correct.

SELF TALK LANGUAGE
In the all important daily execution of goal-setting we need to use self-talk language which conveys the message to our minds that the ‘result’ is not a future outcome, out there somewhere in the cosmos waiting to materialise and come to us. Rather, we use self-talk language that conveys the belief that the goal is already in our possession. Right here and right now! It’s important you grasp this difference in this thinking.
Setting goals and achieving them from a psychological point of view has less to do with reality and much more to do with the beliefs we feed our minds and how our subconscious minds processes those thoughts and beliefs.
Naturally we live in the reality of the moment of the day and any goal setter needs to take physical steps of some nature each day to create a change or to bring changes closer into reality.
A mentally held image of future outcomes may detrimentally remain just that in reality – a dream of some future event. That would mean that out ‘there’ somewhere lies our desired achievements and that’s where they remain because they don’t come to us in real and tangible terms.

‘FLIP-FLOP’ OF THE MIND
If instead we think in terms of incomes and not outcomes we can feed our minds a powerful piece of brain software capable of causing a total ‘flip-flop’ effect at the subconscious level. It’s there where all the action is when it comes to winning in personal, sporting and business life! Come to think of it – any part of life! That’s my own real life experience.
The new self-talk language I advocate may appear weird, illogical and downright silly when you first hear it. What your conscious logical mind thinks however is irrelevant. What is relevant is what content we offer our subconscious minds. The number of repetitions of self-talk along with the feelings and emotions we have at the time of our scheduled self-talk sessions is what’s relevant

EXAMPLES
Here are two simple examples.
‘Bob’ has tried and tried again to stop smoking. He has set his goal on this occasion including an ‘achievement’ date of three months from day one.
‘Sally’ wanted to escape the unemployment trap and win herself a new job within six weeks.
Realistic, specific and attainable goals
And here is the self-talk language I recommended to Bob and Sally for them to use on a daily basis, right up to what I call the ‘date of celebration’ otherwise known as the date of achievement. I wanted Bob and Sally to give their subconscious minds content capable of creating the ‘acted upon’ belief that the intended goal was already in existence in the present day and moment.
‘Bob’ – “The income I enjoy today as a non-smoker is better health, improved sense of taste and smell and a positive feeling of achievement. Overall I feel better because I do not smoke. I enjoy this income today, tomorrow and will celebrate this income on my birthday in February 2008’.
‘Sally’ – “The ‘income’ I enjoy today having my dream job is the feeling I am an important part of the workforce; my daily life has structure and purpose and I especially enjoy the extra money I have to do more of the things I want and enjoy doing. I enjoy this income today, tomorrow and will celebrate this income on the 1st day of the New Year’.

THE POWER WORD
Using the power word ‘income’ is powerful because it relates to the goal that has come in to you in the sense of achievement. While the value of the goal may not be measured in dollars and cents it is important to quantify what the ‘value’ of the achievement means to you if you own it.
Plenty of helpful educational articles are available on planning for goals. Search Google with ‘goal setting’ and look for any articles teaching the S.M.A.R.T. method as this is a tried and true technique that works! Just don’t forget the message from this article.
I have written my own article on the system I use for goal setting including the step-by-step actions I follow for each goal.
If you would like a free copy simply email me at michael@newendbeginning.com and I’ll make sure you get a copy.
Whatever you do learn about goal setting remember the main message from this article. Achieving goals is more about focussing on incomes and not outcomes.

Reprinted from: Communication Skills Articles.

Visit www.newendbeginning.com for more ideas, tips and techniques to help you move further along the path towards your success. This item is for educational purposes only. In no sense is the information contained here meant to replace qualified medical, professional, legal, financial or psychological advice. Consult a qualified medical practitioner or psychologist in cases of illness, pregnancy, distress or doubt. Michael Searles www.NewEndBeginning.com

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