A Harvard Business Study revealed of the 14% of people who actually set goals, less than 3% of people write their goals and less than 1% of people review their goals regularly.

According to world famous motivational speaker and self development author Brian Tracy, there are 5 basic reasons people don’t set goals.

1. They are simply not serious enough about achieving them

2. They don’t understand the importance of goal setting

3. They just don’t know how to do it

4. Fear of rejection or being ridiculed for setting big goals

5. The fear of failure

“Goals allow you to control the direction of change in your favor” – Brian Tracy

Let’s look at what’s behind each of these reasons.

1. They are simply not serious enough about achieving them

It’s easy to say you’d like to achieve something but how serious are you? Because until you have a clear ‘why’ you want to achieve your goals it’s likely you’ll be wishy washy about taking action.

“What you get by achieving your goals is not as important what you become by achieving your goals” – Zig Ziglar

2. They don’t understand the importance of goal setting

One thing is clear- what gets measured gets improved. If you don’t set goals how will you know where you’re going or even if you’ve arrived? That’s why all the successful people of the world set goals. They thrive off the sense of achievement that comes from striving for continuous improvement.

“People with goals succeed because they know where they are going” – Earl Nightingale

3. They just don’t know how to do it

There are many ways you can set goals. And to ensure your success in achieving them, there are key elements to writing a goal. Quite simply your goals need to be SMART! Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Timed. Remember this acronym and set goals effectively every time.

“I think goals should never be easy, they should force you to work, even if they are uncomfortable at the time” – Michael Phelps

4. Fear of rejection or being ridiculed for setting big goals

Often well meaning friends, family and colleagues who fear change will be less than supportive when you share you big goals and dreams. Perhaps because they don’t understand what it means to you. Maybe they are scared of change or feel inferior within themselves. This is why so many people choose to hire a coach. A valuable coach will help you set goals, be your greatest cheerleader, keep you accountable and have 100% faith in you ability to achieve your goals.

“Everybody has goals, aspirations or whatever, and everybody has been at a point in their life where nobody believed in them” – Eminem

5. The fear of failure

Fear of failure often overrides motivation to succeed. Failure can lead to emotions such as disappointment, frustration, anger, sadness, regret and confusion. None of which usually are sufficient to trigger a fear of failure. When we look a little deeper, fear of failure is really fear of shame. Shame is when you feel bad about who you are rather than what you did (guilt) or your efforts (regret). A coach is someone you can discuss your feelings with and will help you confidently face and overcome your fears.

“If you don’t accept failure as a possibility, you don’t set high goals, you don’t branch out, you don’t try – you don’t take the risk” – Rosalynn Carter

Are you ready to face your fears and set goals for your success?

Now you know the top 5 reasons people don’t set goals and you have the formula to setting effective goals you are set to go! You can also Contact Me or book here for your Free 30 minute Call and discover how I can help you breakthrough to success!