BARRIERS TO GOAL SETTING

Did you set your goals? No why not? Lets have a look at the Barriers to Goal setting....

Whilst goal setting undoubtedly has massive and proven benefits, there are a number of barriers that will, has or may prevent YOU from setting them! 

 
All too many people have never heard of goal setting and do not appreciate its power and benefits: For others, goal setting may make them feel uncomfortable or embarrassed, or amuse them because they have never been through the process before and are unfamiliar with it.  
 
Some people have heard of goal setting but might not understand the benefits of goal setting: And even when people do understand the benefits, many are still uncertain as to how to set goals and the process involved.  If we are unsure as to the benefits of goal setting, we need only consider peak performers, their levels of performance and what they achieve, and what they do that makes them peak performers – goal setting will invariably be “in there” somewhere. A good starting point is to re-read the last blog and then make a commitment to yourself. 
 
Some people have a fear of rejection: Some people might understand the importance of goal setting but be afraid that other people might laugh at their goals or make “fun” of them for wanting to improve their performance and achieve more.  By declaring our goals to other people we always risk ridicule or rejection by other people.  This is especially true of people who are afraid that we might “out-achieve” them, or people that have low self-esteem themselves and feel threatened by our goals. Are you a VICTIM or VICTOR? Although we often need other people to support our goals, it is often a good idea to be selective as to whom we share them with, whilst we can always use a person’s comments of rejection as a form of personal motivation.
 
Some people have a fear of failure: Invariably some people believe that it is “better not to have tried at all, than to have tried and failed”. Remember there is no such thing as failure, only feedback.  By writing down our goals we put them into perspective and become committed to them.  Unfortunately, this can sometimes create a problem when we have low self-esteem ourselves, or when we may not totally believe in our ability to achieve our goals.  As a result, we may be reluctant to declare what we want and set goals in case failure to achieve them leads to de-motivation and a further lowering of self-esteem.  However, if we set a goal and achieve only 50% of that which we would hope to achieve, it is still 50% more than we would have achieved if we had not set goals in the first place!  Whilst we might not achieve everything that we dream of, we can never achieve anything unless we at least dream of it first!
 
Some people have a fear of success: Strange as it may sound, some people find that continued failure provides a certain sense of security.  Such people invariably like to blame their failure on external factors or other people because it absolves them of personal responsibility.  For others, repeated failure might make other people feel sorry for them and provide them with a certain sense of belonging or importance.  They fear success, therefore, because by achieving it, their attention is inextricably drawn to the potential that resides within them.  This forces them to take personal responsibility for their actions and results and can makes them feel uncomfortable.  Or they might fear losing the sympathy of others as an “acknowledged failure” for whom nothing has gone right in the past.  It is only by taking personal responsibility, however, that we can start to realise our goals and our true potential in the future.

So what are your barriers? What's really stopping you from achieving your dreams?