This post may contain affiliate links, which means I’ll receive a commission if you purchase through my link, at no extra cost to you.
At the beginning of the year, everyone and their momma were in goal-setting mode (including me 😂). New planners were purchased, virtual vision board parties were held, and the get fit train began. God and goals quickly became the anthem. Despite the hype of a brand new year, studies have shown up to 80% of New year’s resolutions are abandoned by February.
Well….we are only a few short days away from that mark. This means that a large majority of people are about to wave bye-bye to those resolutions, only to replay the same dance again next year.
If that’s you, have no fear. I’m here to help you navigate. I am a firm believer in breaking cycles (of all kinds) no matter how minuscule they may seem.
However, cycles do not stop because we want them to. It takes being intentional.
Part of intentionality means evaluating why we keep falling into these cycles to begin with.
True dissection leads to truth. Truth leads to wisdom. Wisdom leads to change.
Let’s get into why you are not achieving your goals for 2021 already and 4 areas to tackle.
S.M.A.R.T Goals
Were your goals S.M.A.R.T to begin with? Sometimes in all of our excitement, we forget to carefully curate goals that give us the best chance of success.
To avoid or at least decrease the odds of not meeting your goals, you need to ensure they are S.M.A.R.T:
Specific
Be clear about the goal you are trying to accomplish.
Example: To create an extra form of income through building an online clothing boutique.
Measurable
There should always be numbers or quantifying figures so that you can measure the progression of your goals.
Example: To make $1,000 in extra income, as opposed to simply saying make more money.
Attainable
Your goal must actually be one that can be realistically attained. Making 100K in one month when you are starting from 0 is unlikely to be attainable. Not impossible, but unlikely.
Example: Making $1,000 in 30 days when starting from 0 is a more realistic and attainable figure.
Relevant
Every single goal you create should be connected to your overall picture.
Example: In the grand scheme of it all, your overall picture may be to become debt-free. Therefore your goal of creating an extra stream of income is relevant to this.
Time
Create timelines, deadlines, mini-deadlines, otherwise, chances are it ain’t gonna happen.
Example: If The goal is to make $1,000 in one month, 30 days is your timeline. Weekly or bi-weekly checkpoints will help determine how on track or far off you are from this goal.
That was an ear full but before you give up on those New Years’ goals, evaluate each one and ensure all the goals you made are S.M.A.R.T.
The smarter and well thought out your goals are, the less likely you are to be discouraged; simply because you are giving yourself the best chance of actually accomplishing them.
Take a deeper dive into goal setting by checking out this book.
Organization
Setting goals is one part of the story but actually becoming organized to achieve those goals, well that’s just another ball game. This may be a big reason you are not achieving your goals. Achieving your goals means organizing your life. There is just no way around it.
If you are late to the party, you can start by getting a planner (here) and dare I say it…. actually using it 😂.
In addition to using your planner, here are some quick tips for getting organized:
- Schedule and segment your goals (Annually, Quarterly, Monthly, Weekly, and Daily)
- Stalk your to-do list the way you stuck your crush’s social media pages. Kidding! Still review that to-do list every single day.
- Get a separate planning book for each area of your life (I know, I know, this is next level). You should have separate books for finance, work, ministry, etc… It’s time to be delivered from bundling everything in one book 😂.
As a Christian, it is important to plan for your future.
Time Management
Whew, chile! Time management requires a 2 hour sermon all on its own.
Have you ever logged onto Facebook or Instagram to check one notification only to look up and an hour has passed.
How about promising to come home and be productive only to curl up on the couch and watch “one more episode” of your favorite Netflix show. 10 hours later *in my Spongebob narrator voice*
It happens to the best of us. But if you really want to progress this year and get to the bottom of why you are not achieving your goals, you have to make a decision to manage your time.
Try setting 20-minute alarms and intensely focusing on a task for 20 minutes at a time straight. To do this, simply set a timer to 20 mins and do not stop until that task is completed. I find smaller windows of focus make it easier to stay the course as opposed to challenging myself to focus for longer times.
Alexa is normally my best friend for these sorts of missions because I can set the timer and listen to music at the same time. Productivity and entertainment for the win. If you do not have Alexa’s budget, no worries. A simple phone timer will work just as well.
Time management can be extremely difficult in a world of distractions, but with focus and discipline, you will see the result.
Speaking about discipline…
Discipline
Discipline kicks in when motivation wears off. In other words, it’s not tied to our emotions. When you are motivated (like on January 1), you feel like you can take on the entire world. You are driven by your emotions.
However, discipline is working in the absence of motivation (emotions). It requires doing the tasks necessary to achieve your goals, even when you do not feel like it.
This is one fact all those “girl boss” posts and “you can do it” videos and posts often omit.
You will not always feel like marketing, planning, organizing, and managing. Those feelings alone do not mean you are doomed for failure. It just means you have to make a decision to push through those feelings and complete the task.
Discipline can very well be the #1 reason you are not achieving your goals.
As a Christian, there is good news though. You have the seed of discipline in you because discipline is a fruit of the spirit. You have to dig deep and nurture it.
These are my top tips for developing discipline
- Pray for grace before the task, not in the middle of not wanting to do it. For instance, If you must wake up early the next day, don’t pray in the middle of your sleep when you are 2 seconds from snoozing your alarm. By then it’s normally too late. Instead, the night before, ask God to give you the grace to get up and get it done. This may seem small but it works.
- Hype yourself up or have a strong pep talk with yourself. Tell yourself, “Listen, mam or sir, you need to get up and get this done NOW. If you do not, you are going to be holding yourself back.” Talking to yourself sternly sounds crazy but chileee you need results.
- Discipline yourself in small areas. I’ve been making a habit of telling myself “no” to bad habits in smaller areas, like staying up late. If you can not discipline yourself small, it’s going to be harder when the big moments come. When I’m struggling to build the enthusiasm to complete smaller tasks, rather than procrastinate, I tell myself “No Berta, we are doing this.”
As you practice discipline, I’ve heard it gets easier. Emphasis on the I’ve heard. Because I’m not all the way there yet 😂😂
This book is a must-read for developing discipline.
Possibly, this new year may have already served you some unexpected challenges making it difficult to achieve your goals. Even so, I want to encourage you not to give up on the vision in your heart.
By adding these practical tips to your arsenal, with time your results will improve.
You do not need a new year to start over. You can re-evaluate, start over now, and crush your goals for the remainder of 2021 and beyond.
In between time, I’m praying for you always.
As always
Be strong, Be courageous, Serve God Wholeheartedly
P.S.What other reasons have you not been achieving your goals? Share and drop a comment below 🙃
