Why bother with goal setting?

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So…

You may be planning to do some goal setting soon for the new year.

What I’m gonna’ say is gonna’ surprise you! Maybe you shouldn’t bother!

As a trainer, coach and consultant for +/-40 years, and a behavioralist at my core, I have attempted to encourage people to set goals. Using my bully pulpit, it hasn't been difficult to get people, myself included, to "set" goals. 

Executing and achieving them, however...a different story!

So...here I am in my 9th decade (can you believe that?), and I'm gonna' change my song. Why bother? If you're not gonna work [outside the nature of most] why bother setting goals and setting yourself up for failure, guilt and shame? Why?

I have been associated with many people, clients, friends and strangers for whom goal setting has been worse than not setting them! And I've helped them get to the "worse" of it!

Twenty-five years ago I presented The Missions: 

Admission [I admit this is the status, like it or not; for reasons to be stated, here's the why of the matter.]

Commission [Dedicating my intent to achieve a completion to the content of that admission.]

Submission [Antithetical to our general teaching, I must give-up to my dedication and be all-in to accomplish my target!]

Now...I've gotta' say my own goal-setting experiences have been, more often than not, successful. The bigger the better! Bring 'em on!l All-in!

I will tell you, I believe, it's the WHY [my dreams] of the goals that pushes me forward and keeps me focused! If your WHY is not strong enough to get you to execute (and maybe change) guess what… even the most ornate visuals will not achieve the desired results!

People (and that probably includes you) do things for their own reason! They (aka you) make decisions intellectually and TAKE ACTION emotionally! 

If you’re not at that strong WHY, if you won’t suffer pain if you don’t execute and change if you don’t succeed, if you don’t acknowledge that you [your ego, self-respect, how you show-up, guilt, shame] and others [family, friends, mentors, coaches] will be [the BIG D, as my daughters used to say] disappointed if you don’t reach your goals…

Maybe you shouldn’t bother setting goals at all!