I posted a few weeks ago a question to my Facebook community,

and it read like this,

“How are your new-years resolutions going so far?”

And the response I got was a little surprising.

Most people who saw the post said something to the degree of, “I didn’t even try” or “Yeah that lasted about 4 weeks for me.”

I say I was surprised because though I have heard all these before, I was shocked at the overwhelmingly amount of negative comments.

See, I don’t think it’s necessarily the goals that we struggle with, but it’s the mindset in which we go into them with.

There are many fears, worries, and challenges when it comes to hitting something you want to achieve. In this section, we will be discussing some of the misconceptions most of us have about goals, and how we can avoid them.

Misconception #1: You’re a failure if you miss them

This is the first misconception I want to hit on because I believe it’s the most ridiculous. I hear people who were targeting a goal or a promotion and when they didn’t get it, it totally crushed them. They couldn’t believe they missed the “mark” and they just give up. One of the biggest issues in people who try to hit goals is the obsessive need for what I call FINITE achievement.

A finite achievement is a goal that is tangible and measurable. For example, "My goal to read 30 books this year".

Most goals tend to be finite, and that’s what makes them powerful. But what we shouldn’t do is wrap our whole identity in these finite goals. Finite goals are measurable ways to GROW in your INFINITE goal. Infinite goals are life-long targets, and tend to be more ambiguous.

For example, my INFINITE goal is to INSPIRE PURPOSE.

Now let’s say that I have a goal to see 100 people join a purpose-building class, and 99 people show up to the class.

If ONE person didn’t show up and I missed the mark, should this take me into a spinning spiral of discouragement?

OF COURSE NOT.

Did people still grow in their purpose?

Absolutely.

The measure of a finite goal is designed to grow you, not define you.

Misconception #2: You can’t Change them

Goals are not the word of God, and they ARE adjustable.

Now I want to be clear, just because a goal is hard doesn’t mean it should be changed. They are designed to push. But there are times when your goal is simply not possible. Most of us lean on some side of the spectrum.

Sometimes we go to conservative, and sometimes we are simply just too far out.

Realize that your goals can be shifted and molded based on the current situation. I have seen many organizations hold too tight to the goals they have, and the market had shifted. There is no point in doing that, and even if they hit the goal, they end up in the place they didn’t want to be in.

Track your goals, adjust your resources, and shift if need be.

Misconception #3: Goals have to be hard

Don’t get me wrong, goals should stretch us.

But they don’t have to be impossible. In other sections we’ve talked about the power of INPUT goals. These are goals that we hit every day or week to achieve the big long-term goal.

These input goals should be almost ridiculously easy to most. It’s in these input goals that we finally achieve the thing we are going after.

Making things really hard on yourself only lasts for a time. Typically people get worn out, discouraged, and quit.

I read from a phenomenal author that said he only writes 200 words a day.

200!

This section here is WAY longer than 200 words!

But he goes on to share that is the secret to his writing success. It’s the easy input goals and habits that allow him to get to where he wanted to go.

You will be amazed at what you can get done if you focus on a few basic goals per week. They almost seem overly simple, and to many they are.

But your consistency in them will build overtime into the breakthrough you envision.

Remember what is the best way to climb a mountain?

One step at a time.

Misconception #4: Goals are your burden to bear

People always say “My goals…” and to a degree that is true. It is also a great way to lose.

I used to take on all my goals alone, including my fitness ones .

I quit doing that because it is ridiculously overrated. Going alone feels better for a time. But there is always a scapegoat in it. If you don’t feel like it one day, you can not do it. It’s against the battle in your head and heart. And many people I talk to find a level of comfort in the opt out.

But people who want to truly grow understand the power of accountability.

Most people are afraid of real goals because that means that they will have to be held accountable.

Embrace accountability.

When it comes to goals it is your BEST friend.