Are Your SMART Goals Destined To Fail?

Have you ever made a New Year’s resolution?

Did you keep it and execute your goal to the end?

Bravo if you did, But…

If that was not your story…

What kept you from accomplishing that which you believed was a goal?

While most people set goals, there are some that do so more than others, and still others who do nothing of the sort.

Part of experiencing success with goals is about having certainty of what you desire. If you ask successful people, they’ll tell you that it’s not enough to set goals. It’s about setting effective goals that have a HIGH probability of being realized and working on those goals.

Jim Rohn has been credited for saying,

“If you really want to do something, you’ll find a way. If you don’t, you’ll find an excuse.”

And so it is.

Yet, often you have to contend with this pesky…

Drunk Monkey Disease.
There’s a missing piece or pieces to most people’s goal setting approach. For example, if you find yourself constantly reiterating your goals or defending that burning desire to accomplish a goal but no matter how much you work on it nothing ends up happening…

What then?

Keep in mind that there are people who surrender to their “drunken monkey.” It’s that “inner critic” who lives in your brain and constantly belittles and badgers your every attempt to tackle and achieve your goals. That make believe ‘ogre’ has to be put down once and for all.

It’s great to create goals but it’s not enough to create a habit of setting goals if you don’t accomplish them.

You would benefit from taming that…

Inner Ugly Self.

A goal is literally a simple statement of what you most want; it's a desired outcome. It is also those statements that you whisper and often tell yourself….and they are the very same ones that have a direct impact on your inner self.

Those 'simple' statements are still considered goals by your subconscious mind. Your subconscious mind really does not know the difference between fact or fiction.

So, although statements such as, “1) What’s wrong with me or 2) I’m never able to accomplish what I start” are classified as emotional expressions and inner interpretations of your failed attempts at a task or project, your subconscious mind adopts these messages as 'fact' and carries them out automatically. It says, “your wish is my command.”

Adopting negative harmful instructions or murmuring them without much thought is a factor that influences your ability to execute what you most “desire.” If goals are statements of what you desire and they are the ones that you constantly tell yourself, it's wise to be aware and be careful what you say when you talk to yourself.

There are smart and dumb ways to treat yourself and you know to a certain extent that the latter can be affecting your success level.

HARD vs. SMART Goals.

Create goals that keep your inner self in check and are hard on you for the sake of seeing you through to your desired outcome.

If you have been studying success principles for the past 10 years, you’re probably familiar with the ubiquitous method of setting goals that embrace the SMART paradigm.

I taught this very SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, Traceable) method of goal setting to my students and clients for many years.

And from experience it works until “You” get in the way. Yes until you let go of the reigns and allow your mind to be hijacked by destructive and negative mindset patterns.

That’s when SMART goal setting would benefit from a boost by implementing the HARD goal setting method.

During my research for an interview series, I discovered this new goal setting process that Mark Murphy, CEO of Leadership IQ, called a HARD goal setting process in his book, HARD Goals: The Secret To Getting From Where You Are To Where You Want To Be.

HARD Goals are:
Heartfelt – adopt an established emotional connection; shows ownership;
Animated—create a vivid picture/imagery that when generated adds a depth of intensity;
Required—explore costs and benefits of present and future, create a sense of urgency about your goals, and clarify what is your need.
Difficult—embrace difficulty of goals, aware of learning curve, & fully note risk of leaving comfort zone.

The HARD goal setting process has been supported by over 4600 people who engaged in a research study conducted by Leadership IQ, a leadership research and training company.

Although the type of goals pursued and failure rate were somewhat similar between these men and women, findings showed there are 4 major differences in how each sex approaches and carries out their goals. I highlighted the areas that revealed a gender gap seen in goal setting as part of an interview series called Women Learn From Women conducted by Nathalie Villeneuve of WomenThatConnect.com

These findings indicated a gender gap but at the same time it also showed that both sexes shared a similar HARD goal setting process that in a way revealed part of their secret to success.

In my next few posts I will discuss in more depth how to implement the HARD goal setting process and reveal one of my AHA moments while reading and studying the intricacies of this goal setting process.

In the meantime, I encourage you to assess your current goals to see if you have applied any part of the HARD goal setting method when generating your goals.

What is the one strategy you apply that time and time again you’ve used to catapult you to the finish line?

Would love to hear your strategies, so please leave your comment below and be sure to rate and share with others now.