When you log onto social media, you see at least one person complaining about how many people there are in the gym. The status update ends with, “In a few months, they’ll be gone.” Goal setting gets a bad rap because of the percentage of people who don’t follow through. That percentage is even higher for leaders who set goals that they don’t do anything about.
Whatever you want to call them, following through on the goals you set is hard work. The reality is that too many leaders reading this will give up after a few months or after experiencing setbacks. There are many reasons why we don’t follow through with our goals, and it’s a mystery.
There are some leaders reading this that will face circumstances that are outside of their control. There are some who will face situations that are heartbreaking and their only focus will be survival. There are, however, too many leaders who can and should chase whatever the next level and accomplish audacious goals.
Here are five daily obstacles every leader must overcome to experience growth, accomplish goals, and live an amazing life.
1. Don’t let the dream if good enough.
There was a popular movie with the tagline, “Stop dreaming, start living.” We get caught up in the romantic idea of our goals. We get lost in the possibilities and spend days and weeks just dreaming without doing instead of actually make those dreams our reality.
It’s hard work to grow. It’s difficult to stay focused through all of the ups and downs and failures that come when things don’t work out as planned. Making changes requires sacrifice. Accomplishing major goals requires sacrifice. You may have to give up time doing things you enjoy to give that time to work on your goals.
You may have to give up food that tastes good to get healthier and have more energy. You may have to say goodbye to extra time you would normally give to your friends, and use that time to grow a business or advance a career. Sacrifice doesn’t have to be forever, just until you hit your goals.
2. Don’t listeni to self-limiting beliefs.
There are things each of us tells ourselves that hold us back. We deal with feelings and thoughts from past experiences that keep us from even getting to the place of wanting to make changes and accomplish our goals. We tell ourselves we’re not smart enough, lucky enough, strong enough, good-looking enough, or that we don’t have what it takes to accept success in our life.
You are a special and unique leader. You are the only one of you in this world. You may not be like another leader that you admire, but that doesn’t mean you can’t do everything you want to do in your growth journey. You deserve success. You deserve to live the life you want to live.
3. Overcome fear of failure.
We’re afraid to fail, but more than that, we’re afraid to look bad. We’re terrified of others thinking of us as failures more than actually failing. Failure is a part of life and sometimes we need to fail.
Failure shouldn’t be an ending event. It should be an opportunity to learn and grow. At the end, who cares what people think? Their opinion is not important in the grand scheme of things, and won’t put any more money in your pocket.
4. Research and plan.
If you’re going to have success with your major goals, you need to have a plan. “Winging it” only works in the movies and the Internet and technology give us the ability to figure out what our steps should be. Not having a plan will increase your chances of failing and quitting. Not properly researching will have you confused and frustrated. Create a plan based on research, and start taking action on that plan.
5. Never forget your why.
We get frustrated with how long it takes to see progress and then we get distracted. During the times when everything inside you screams, “quit,” something even deeper instead you should remind yourself of why you started this growth journey.
Life is short and we only get one life to live. Before you know it, you’ll come to the end of your life content or full of regret. It’s a harder path, but once you reach your goals, it will be worth the struggle you endured. Always keep your mind focused on your why. This isn’t only about money or fame, there’s something deeper that’s driving you.
I hope you haven’t given up on the goals you’ve set for yourself. It’s not going to fall in place magically — it will take longer than you want to reach that tipping point, but you’re doing this for a reason. Your goals are important and how you’ll grow a life of freedom. Don’t lose focus. If you do, use this article as a wake-up call and get back on track.
Photo Credit: @esteejanssens on Unsplash