The start of a new year always brings with it the aspiration to improve our lives and reach old and new goals. However, although we are all super excited and motivated to begin with, our ambitions and commitments tend to fade away by February the latest. Why is it that only 12% of all those who set new year’s resolutions experience the taste of victory? What exactly goes wrong in the process? Although reasons may be different from person to person, according to research, there are four main reasons that stand in the way to achieving new year’s resolutions. The first reason is that, perhaps, your goals are not clear or important enough. Before we set each new year’s resolution or goals you should seek the answer to questions like: Why do I want to achieve this goal? Why is it important to me? What difference would achieving this goal make in my life? I know that if you can answer these questions you may gain a clearer picture of the purpose behind achieving a particular goal, the value you place upon it and the impact that it will have in your life. I strongly believe that in this way you will avoid confusion and you will will be more motivated to get to where you want to be or do what you want to do. When I decided to run a marathon I knew that I was doing it in order to satisfy my need of being involved in something challenging because this helps me to feel alive. I also knew that it was important because achieving such an important goal would have fed my self-esteem. Last I was sure that the resilience gained in the preparation and during the race would have helped me in all other aspects of my life. The second reason is that you may feel overwhelmed. Changing is never an easy task and it can actually be daunting at times. Although at the beginning of your journey to achieving your goal you may feel like a superhero, yet, when facing pressure and put in front of the length of the road ahead and the effort needed, you my start to feel overwhelmed and begin to think that, perhaps, it’s a little over too much and therefore you quit before you even start. When I enrolled at University never I would have thought that the amount of pressure would have been so hard on me during those years. I had a family, I had a full time job and several other commitments which definitely made me feel super overwhelmed. Although the amount of pressure felt like the Rocky Mountains on me, yet I did not give up and made it to the end. Once again we go back to the three questions. If you know why you are doing what you are doing, why it is important to you and how this thing will change your life, then you are able to face and overcome all the obstacles that come along.
The third reason is that you may get discouraged. Have you ever found yourself feeling a little impatient as you have looked at the length of the process and as you have not seen any signs of progress? Well you are not alone. When this happens rather then getting up, dusting off your hands and move forward you may even feel that, perhaps, your goal is not so doable and desirable anymore. Now if you find yourself in this situation then you are in front of a choice to make: either continue to follow the process to achieving your goal as it is or reevaluate the process in terms of how and when you will achieve your goal. When I ran the marathon I had planned to run at a certain pace which worked well until about half way. Unfortunately after 13 miles I started to feel pain in my groin which then began to be quite sharp to the point that I started to struggle and think that there was no way that I could terminate the race in that condition. As I started to get discouraged I felt that if I wanted to finish the race I had reevaluate the pace that I was running at. I then quickly made the adjustment and I made to the end. The fourth reason is that you are not ready to change. Yes you may be interested in change but, are you really? Perhaps the what, when, where and why is too much for your to handle and that moment. Every excuse is good to step away from the plan to achieve your goal. The lack of motivation does not necessarily mean that your goals are not representative of your dreams but that, perhaps, they are not the ones that matter most at the present time. When I decided to take up playing the piano again I really thought that I was fully committed to dedicate a certain amount of hours playing and studying. Sadly I soon realised that my commitment was pretty weak and that my motivation was fading away each day. It was clear that I was not ready for it and that playing the piano was not the goal that matter the most at that time, therefore I returned the piano and moved on with other goals. Now, if you find yourself in any of this situations you do not have to worry. What you need is to work with a coach who can help you identify and set meaningful goals and help you find the resources in yourself and around you which will make it possible to achieve any of your life dreams or goals. I will be more than happy to assist you in this process and support you in your journey as you become the author of your destiny. So what are you waiting for?