Treat yourself with respect on the way to your goals.

Just about one year ago, I wrote a blog post titled “Motivation: What Gets You Going—And Keeps You Going?”  and I encouraged the readers to identify a motivational best practice that had helped them in the past—and that could be applied to a current dream.

Today, I’d like you to examine your goal achieving challenges. That is, what seems to stop you on your way from here to there?  What kills your momentum?  Take a few moments and write your top two or three goal roadblocks.

My top three goal challenges are

1. ________________________________________________________________________
2. ________________________________________________________________________
3. ________________________________________________________________________

Image: Stuart Miles@ FreeDigitalPhotos.net

In an article for Mind Tools, Sarah Pavey outlined eight common goals-setting mistakes.  As I read her spot-on list, it was obvious (again) that goal setting, while commendable, needs to give way to goal achievement. Some of these mistakes can easily stop you before you even get started. Others can knock you off course during your journey.  Which of the following match up to your top three above?

You can sabotage yourself if your goals are:

• Unrealistic. Is the goal realistic with your current skill set?
• Unrealistic (part 2). Can the goal realistically be achieved within the timeframe you have stipulated?
• Unbalanced. Do your goals give attention to just one or two areas of your multi-dimensional life (say, just work or social while ignoring physical, emotional and spiritual elements)?
• Derailed by failure. Does a roadblock or two (or more) put you in a tailspin and move you from an achiever to a quitter?
• Not Yours. Do you have passion for the goals you pursue—or do your goals “belong” to someone else who is telling you what you “should” do with your life?
• Lacking Evaluation. Do you gather consistent feedback about your progress—and do you evaluate the feedback and learn from it?
• Negatively worded. Do you focus on what you should not do or what you should eliminate rather than more positively looking at what you should do or add to your life?
• Too many. Do you overwhelm yourself with far too many goals in far too short of a time period in far too many areas of your life?

Once you identify your challenge or challenges it’s time to take action.  One strategy is to apply my S.O.A.R. ™ model.

Identify one of the above challenges that apply to you. What one step can you take immediately to minimize or eliminate your goal challenge? Then do the following:

1. Write the SPECIFIC step you can take. Use clear and precise language.
2. What resources (people, things, time, money, and/or places for instance) will you need to ORGANIZE so that you can make the step above a reality?
3. When and how will you take your ACTION?
4. What is the REASON behind this particular goal and step? Why do you want to go in this direction?

Once you complete that, repeat steps 1 through 4 for the next challenge…and the next…and the next…until you reach your goal—while, at the same time, treating yourself with respect.

Video recommendation of the week:

Don’t let anything steal your passion. Least of all, don’t short-circuit your great intentions. Stay true to yourself.

Make it a wonderful week—H.T.R.B. as needed.

You can find my podcast series at Growth and Resilience (http://stevepiscitelli.com/video-media/podcasts). 

Check out my website  (http://www.stevepiscitelli.com/programs.html) for programming information as well as details about upcoming webinars (http://www.stevepiscitelli.com/webinars).

My books Choices for College Success (3^rd edition) and Study Skills: Do I Really Need This Stuff?  (3^rd edition) are published by Pearson Education.

(c) 2015. Steve Piscitelli. All rights reserved.