Dear Success Seeker,

You have probably been setting goals for years. But if you are like most people, you are not being as successful as you would like at achieving the goals you set. Why is this? Here are five of the biggest goal-setting mistakes I see my clients make.

Mistake #5: Thinking you need to know where you are going. Most success gurus, speakers and authors insist that it is crucial for you to be crystal clear about your goals. Yet I've found that at least 70% of people don't know exactly what they want. Unfortunately they believe the gurus are right so they beat themselves up for not being clear and waste time trying to get clear about where they are going. Both activities are damaging to their success.
Solution: You may not know exactly where you are going but you definitely have a sense of direction. Simply connect with your sense of what you want and do something, anything that will move you in that general direction!

Mistake #4: Setting long-term goals based on what seems reasonable rather than what inspires you. Do you set your goals by looking at where you are today and deciding what seems feasible for you? This is an extremely limiting approach.
Solution: Ten years is a long time. You can create almost anything in that time if you decide to. You could earn a degree, change careers or be well-established on a different continent if you wanted. So expand your dreams! When you commit fully to a goal, not matter how unreasonable it may seem today, it is almost certainly achievable.

Mistake #3: Focusing on your goal instead of the actions required to achieve it. Many advocates of 'goal manifestation' emphasize the importance of visualizing and getting into the right 'vibrational frequency' in order to achieve your goals. In my experience focusing on your goals excessively is self-indulgent and leads to failure and disappointment.
Solution: Once you know what your goal is, create a plan and focus on taking the actions required to get there. You are far more likely to succeed this way!

Mistake #2: Trying to have it all. We are constantly being told, 'you can have it all' however in my experience that is not true. The reason to set goals in the first place is because committing to a specific result creates tension between where you are now and what you want to achieve. It is the tension that pulls you forward, providing motivation to take action. Achieving any significant goal requires an intense and sustained focus. If you set too many goals, the tension and your focus get spread between multiple priorities which, in many cases, are in conflict with each other.
Solution: Identify the one specific goal that is most important to you and put all of your attention and effort onto it.

Mistake #1: Lack of desire. I can virtually guarantee that the number one reason you are not achieving your goals is that you are not deeply committed to them. Sure it would be nice to achieve them but you are complacent and not willing to do what it takes; you aren't willing to get uncomfortable. In 'Think and Grow Rich' Napoleon Hill taught us that in order to succeed at any task you must have a burning desire! Achieving your goals will require you to get way out of your comfort zone; it requires far more action and discomfort than you have taken so far.

When you have a strong enough desire, virtually nothing can stop you from having what you want. Women have lifted cars off their children. Penniless immigrants have become multi-millionaires in your city within a few short years. Remember the great Goethe quote: "At the moment one definitely commits oneself, providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred." You are incredibly powerful when you are focused and committed!
Solution: When you figure out what is REALLY important to you and resolve to do whatever it takes to have it, it will be yours.

ACTION: Review, revise and take action on your current goals based on the points above and you will be surprised how quickly your results accelerate!

Your Coach,

Andrew Barber-Starkey, Master Certified Coach
Founder and President, ProCoach Success System