Top 10 Reasons Why People Don’t Reach Their Goals by Robert Chen

With everything that happens around us, it is sometimes difficult to reach our goals. This is compounded if you have any of the reasons on the list below.

Luckily, in addition to the top 10 reasons why people don’t reach their goals, I’ve included a quick fix for each of them. So let’s get to it.

1. Creating Vague Goals

When you don’t know where you are going, it is really hard to get there. Many people set themselves up for failure when they set goals that are unclear. “I want to lose weight” sounds like a great goal but the people who set this kind of goal will never reach it. It is not because the people are not motivated or disciplined but because the goal is too general. Do you want to lose 5 lbs or 50 lbs?

Quick Fix:  Set SMART goals by being Specific, making sure they are Measurable, Achievable and Realistic, and last but not least — give yourself a Time deadline. If you want to go one step further, you may want to read The Missing Letter in Your Smart Goals.

2. Lacking a Higher Purpose

Goals can be set on any topic imaginable but if you don’t have a higher purpose, it makes it is easy to give up once the initial motivation and excitement wears off. Understanding how your goal is relevant to you allows you to persevere even when the going gets tough.

Quick Fix: When setting your SMART goal, ask yourself how the goal is relevant to your life and what you want to achieve.

3. Procrastinating

Even when you have SMART goals that are relevant to your purpose, if you don’t get started, you’ll never achieve your goal. One of the most dangerous phrases is “I’ll do it later.”

Quick Fix: Make sure the goal has been broken down into manageable pieces and then start right away. Here are 11 Practical Ways to Stop Procrastination.

4. Not Taking Responsibility

Things will go wrong. That’s a fact of life. When something comes up and you don’t achieve your goal, who do you blame? Your boss who kept you at work late so you couldn’t work on your book or maybe the horrible weather that stopped you from going to the gym. If it’s not your fault, there is nothing you can do, right?

Quick Fix: Own up to not reaching your goals. When you take responsibility, you’ll become resourceful knowing that you have control over the attainment of your goals.

5. Listening to People Who Discourage You

When you go for your goals, especially the big ones that really count and fit in with your purpose in life, it is inevitable that people will discourage you. There are many reasons for this: concern, jealousy, ignorance, etc. How many goals have already been given up on because other people decided they were not worth pursuing?

Quick Fix: This one is easy. As long as you know the purpose for your goal, ignore the naysayers. You can take what they are saying into consideration but make sure you make the final choice.

6. Starting Too Many Projects

I’m a starter. That sounds like a good thing but not when you start too many things, you don’t end up finishing many of them. This usually stems from the fear of missing out (FOMO) or being someone who has many ideas.

Quick Fix: Understand that you have a limited amount of time and that you can’t do everything. To deal with FOMO, realize that by not finishing, you are missing out on all the opportunities that open up when you finish the projects you are working on.

7. Being Negative

If you think you’re not going to make it, then you’re probably not going to make it. If you don’t believe you’re going to reach your goal, then when you fail, it is expected which makes it easy to stop trying. When you are optimistic and a setback occurs, you focus your energy on finding solutions because you truly believe there is one. If you believe that you suffer from bad luck, check out this article.

Quick Fix: Consider the idea that optimism and pessimism are both expectations of the future. Each are equally likely to be true but which belief will help you lead a happier more fulfilled life? Instead of wasting your energy on complaining, spend that energy on learning.

8. Being Selfish

There are people out there that think it is silly to help others. They believe in taking and not giving. They are misers with their time, money and knowledge and are only interested in opportunities where they stand to benefit. Most big goals require the help of others and it is very difficult to help people who only care about taking.

Quick Fix: Serve others first. Always look for ways to add value to other people.

9. Surrounding Yourself with People Who Don’t Reach Their Goals

You are who you associate with. This may be hard to swallow for some people and there are always exceptions to the rule but for the most part, we act in accordance with the people around us. This comes from the strong ad natural desire to belong and to be accepted (think of all the dumb things you did in high school just to fit in).

Quick Fix: Associate with people who always reach their goals.

10. Watching Too Much TV

Not all TV is bad but if you are watching TV then most likely you are not doing anything to move one step closer to your goal. The problem with TV these days is that it is captivating. There are programs for all interests and hobbies and the shows keep getting better and better. Those who watch alot of TV usually don’t reach their goals and perhaps people watch TV because they don’t have any goals.

Quick Fix: Shut off the TV. Cancel the cable. Pick up a book that will help you move one step closer to your goal. Here are 6 Steps to Remove TV from your Life.

Do you have anything to add? What do you think are the reasons why people don’t reach their goals and what are your thought about the 10 reasons we have listed here. Feel free to give your own effective quick fixes for the different reasons in the comments section below

4 Simple Steps to Lift Your Dark Cloud of Stress by Lori Lynn Smith

 

Is there a dark cloud over your head?  Do you find it hard to get out from under the feeling of “always being behind the eight-ball?”  Do you want to see the sun again?  Do you want to feel contentment and happiness in your life?
The hustle and bustle of everyday life can really create a dark cloud over  (and even around) you. This dark cloud weights you down, it leaves you feeling “crazed” and always behind. This dark cloud can start impacting your health, happiness and relationships.
While I don’t believe that you can eliminate stress from your life completely, I do believe there is a lot more we can do to reduce it.  There is not a “one size fits all” solution either — you need to find the strategy that works best for you.  Maybe even combine one or more strategies together and make a game of it.
Here are some strategies that I use to help banish my daily stress. Give them a try…I believe you will find them to be very helpful:

1. Support Systems. If you’re constantly running on empty, your mind, body, and soul will suffer the repercussions of your tenacity. There’s no shame in asking for a helping hand. Sometimes, you’ll be able lean on a spouse, coworker, or friend, but other times you may have to hire help.  Start with having a discussion with your partner or family and see if you can brainstorm a way to share the chores around the house. Even just taking turns cooking dinner is helpful.

1. Self Care. What do you enjoy doing? Knitting, relaxing in a bubble bath, drawing, lounging in bed watching reruns of Grey’s Anatomy? Indulge yourself in your favorite restful activity a few times each week. Carving out a few hours each weekend to indulge in your favorite lazy activity. Choose at least one weeknight to relax after work. Start with a walk outside. I know you might need your sunglasses because you have been under that dark cloud for so long. But trust me — there is sunshine, fresh air, beautiful things to look at out there!

1. Simplify life. Simplify your routines, your commitments, your information intake, your cluttered rooms, and have less stress as a result.  Identify those things that are most important in your life…and then get rid of the rest.  It may not be quite that easy, but you can certainly start somewhere with this idea.  Think of just one thing that has been bothering you that you can remove and do it.  Once you start with one, you will see a ray of sunlight.

1. Meditation. With meditation we can learn to transform our minds from chaos to calm. And it is really not as hard as you might think. My favourite meditation is a “Breathing Meditation”. It is simple and you can do it anywhere. Sit in any comfortable position, with your eyes partially closed. Now breathe. Just breathe normally through your nose. Notice how your body moves and what the air feels like. If your mind wanders, just bring it back to your breath. Even just practicing this for two minutes a day will add another ray of sunlight. (If you’re looking for a more in-depth look at meditation, check out Lifehack’s Mindfulness Meditation Mini Guide.)

Sometime stress seems like it is a normal part of life, but it doesn’t have to be that way if you’re willing to put your sanity and happiness first. Most of the time there’s a simple fix to the challenges that are causing you stress. Simply adjust the way you perceive the issues and how you address them.
Small simple steps on a daily basis will create a huge momentum in your life and you will feel the dark clouds life away and the warm breath of the sunshine on your skin.

10 Ways to Get Rich

10 Ways to Get Rich Warren Buffett's secrets that can work for you

With an estimated fortune of $62 billion, Warren Buffett is the richest man in the entire

world. In 1962, when he began buying stock in Berkshire Hathaway, a share cost $7.50.

Today, Buffett, 78, is Berkshire’s chairman and CEO, and one share of the company’s

class A stock is worth close to $119,000. He credits his astonishing success to several key

strategies, which he has shared with writer Alice Schroeder. She spent hundreds of hours

interviewing the Sage of Omaha for the new authorized biography The Snowball.

1. REINVEST YOUR PROFITS

When you first make money, you may be tempted to spend it. Don’t. Instead, reinvest the

profits. Buffett learned this early on. In high school, he and a pal bought a pinball machine

to put in a barbershop. With the money they earned, they bought more machines until they

had eight in different shops. When the friends sold the venture, Buffett used the proceeds

to buy stocks and to start another small business. By age 26, he’d amassed $174,000 - or

$1.4 million in today’s money. Even a small sum can turn into great wealth.

2. BE WILLING TO BE DIFFERENT

Don’t base your decisions upon what everyone is saying or doing. When Buffett began

managing money in 1956 with $100,000 cobbled together from a handful of investors, he

was dubbed an oddball. He worked in Omaha, not on Wall Street, and he refused to tell his

partners where he was putting their money. People predicted that he’d fail, but when he

closed his partnership 14 years later, it was worth more than $100 million. Instead of

following the crowd, he looked for undervalued investments and ended up vastly beating

the market average every single year. To Buffett, the average is just that - what everybody

else is doing. To be above average, you need to measure yourself by what he calls the

Inner Scorecard, judging yourself by your own standards and not the world’s.

3. NEVER SUCK YOUR THUMB

Gather in advance any information you need to make a decision, and ask a friend or

relative to make sure that you stick to a deadline. Buffett prides himself on swiftly making

up his mind and acting on it. He calls any unnecessary sitting and thinking “thumbsucking.” When people offer him a business or an investment, he says, “I won’t talk unless

they bring me a price.” He gives them an answer on the spot.

4. SPELL OUT THE DEAL BEFORE YOU START

Your bargaining leverage is always greatest before you begin a job - that’s when you have

something to offer that the other party wants. Buffett learned this lesson the hard way as a

kid, when his grandfather Ernest hired him and a friend to dig out the family grocery store

after a blizzard. The boys spent five hours shoveling until they could barely straighten their

frozen hands. Afterward, his grandfather gave the pair less than 90 cents to split. Buffett

was horrified that he performed such backbreaking work only to earn pennies an hour.

Always nail down the specifics of a deal in advance - even with your friends and relatives.

5. WATCH SMALL EXPENSES

Buffett invests in businesses run by managers who obsess over the tiniest costs. He once

acquired a company whose owner counted the sheets in rolls of 500-sheet toilet paper to

see if he was being cheated (he was). He also admired a friend who painted only the side

of his office building that faced the road. Exercising vigilance over every expense can

make your profits - and your paycheck - go much further.

6. LIMIT WHAT YOU BORROW

Living on credit cards and loans won’t make you rich. Buffett has never borrowed a

significant amount - not to invest, not for a mortgage. He has gotten many heartrending

letters from people who thought their borrowing was manageable but became

overwhelmed by debt. His advice: Negotiate with creditors to pay what you can. Then,

when you’re debt-free, work on saving some money that you can use to invest.

7. BE PERSISTENT

With tenacity and ingenuity, you can win against a more established competitor. Buffett

acquired the Nebraska Furniture Mart in 1983 because he liked the way its founder, Rose

Blumkin, did business. A Russian immigrant, she built the mart from a pawnshop into the

largest furniture store in North America. Her strategy was to undersell the big shots, and

she was a merciless negotiator. To Buffett, Rose embodied the unwavering courage that

makes a winner out of an underdog.

8. KNOW WHEN TO QUIT

Once, when Buffett was a teen, he went to the racetrack. He bet on a race and lost. To

recoup his funds, he bet on another race. He lost again, leaving him with close to nothing.

He felt sick - he had squandered nearly a week’s earnings. Buffett never repeated that

mistake. Know when to walk away from a loss, and don’t let anxiety fool you into trying

again.

9. ASSESS THE RISKS

In 1995, the employer of Buffett’s son, Howie, was accused by the FBI of price-fixing.

Buffett advised Howie to imagine the worst - and best - case scenarios if he stayed with

the company. His son quickly realized that the risks of staying far outweighed any potential

gains, and he quit the next day. Asking yourself “and then what?” can help you see all of

the possible consequences when you’re struggling to make a decision - and can guide you

to the smartest choice.

10. KNOW WHAT SUCCESS REALLY MEANS

Despite his wealth, Buffett does not measure success by dollars. In 2006, he pledged to

give away almost his entire fortune to charities, primarily the Bill and Melinda Gates

Foundation. He's adamant about not funding monuments to himself - no Warren Buffett

buildings or halls. "I know people who have a lot of money," he says, "and they get

testimonial dinners and hospital wings named after them. But the truth is that nobody in the

world loves them. When you get to my age, you'll measure your success in life by how

many of the people you want to have love you actually do love you. That's the ultimate test

of how you've lived your life."