A goal is a target to hit upon. It is as simple as that. It is a point of destination. Everyday we are making unconcious goals. If you happen to visit a place of interest it is a decision taken to reach there in the first place. A goal is actually a thought that is accompanied by a plan to take decisions to reach it.

Can we live without a goal? The answer is yes. You can live without a goal. But it is like a paper boat on the the sea. There is no direction for it to go. It will move and sway with the conditions around it. There is no planned destination. This is what I call destiny- living at the mercy of surrounding conditions.

Babies have excellent energy to explore things but are poor goal setters. It is because their conciousness have not developed yet. They are in dream like reality. But as we grow we develop clear conciousness. We know what we are doing. We are aware of our surroundings. We live in reality. We are living.

If the definition of goal is the end that one strives to attain – the process can be tedious. If the definition of goal is the end that one sets up achievable process timeline and enjoys to attain – the process is achievable and enjoyable. The words we use to define goal is also useful. To be able to reach a goal we need to understand some of the stumbling blocks that we may encounter in the process.

Circumstance

Circumtance is something that is beyond our control. It is the killer block to a goal. Circumstance simply means surrounding state of affairs which can have profound influence to our state of mind. Once we have decided on a goal we go through the many process of reaching it. At each process we need to make decisions to move on to another new process on the roadmap to a goal. But not all decisions is based on planning. Sometimes it is carried out by emotion. The state of mind is a function of circumstance to a certain degree.

Circumstance can be a loss of health, frienship, loved ones, wealth and property. When this happens our reactions to them affects our mood. Anger, sadness, hatred and other inappropriate states of mind or emotions will set in and determine our feelings. If only we can know how to react to circumstance we can have full control of our feelings and turn every circumstance as a stepping stone to our goals.

Lazy

Have you seen people who are always lethargic and lazy? These are the people who have hardly any goals. But despite having made a goal and if you find that you have a lethargic attitude towards it- my suggestion is to re make your goals again. Ask questions on how you can impact your life and the lives of your dependants when you have attained that particular goal? A goal made conciously will not create a lazy attitude towards reaching it. Find ways to overcome your laziness to reach your goal. Laziness can be a symptom of depression and schizoprenia .

Procrastination

To defer action on the various steps to a goal is called procrastination. The causes of procrastination are many. The basis of procrastination comes from thinking that a project is ‘too small’ to start early and fear to take the first step as the project might be thought ‘too big’. Procrastinators usually think that they are perfect. Procrastinators negatively evaluates outcomes and they fear and avoid evaluation of their abilities by others. Procrastinators are seen as unhelpful as they shirk whatever responsibility is given to them.

By procrastination you might miss out that important step that you need to do in reaching your goal.

Concious Of Effort

Concious of effort is almost realised in a goal if it is not your passionate goal in life. The most easiest way to reach a goal is to set a goal which is around your ‘taste’ area. If you are interested in painting and designing it is a difficult task if you want to become a doctor just others told you to do so. The music director A R Rahman recently wins the golden globe award for ‘Slumbdog Millionaire’ for Best Music Score. His music is inspirational because AR Rahman is never conscious of effort but always concious of composing outstanding music to the world.

The Quitter

A quitter is a person who quits from the process stage of reaching a goal. This is a result of not thinking through the steps towards a goal. The goal setting was carried out superficially and there was no input of serious thinking in the first place. Not all goals emanate from our passion. A quitter is a person who cares less about anything. He lives as a passer by in this life. He is more conscious of effort rather than the fruit of reaching his perfect goal. A quitter subconsiously ask questions like “Why do I need a goal” even though he thought he has made one. This can be a serious problem if it is not identified correctly.

Time Management

Have you heard of very few people who says ‘time is money’. These are the people who have real goals that must be reached a stipulated time frame.

Time management is popular among pundits of personal development. It refers to a range of skills, tools and techniques used to accomplish specific tasks, projects and goals. It includes planning, delegation, monitoring, re scheduling and prioritizing.

A simple time line shall be drawn backwards from the time you will attain the goal to the time you want to start reaching for it. The time line can be further divided into things to do monthly and daily to reach your goal. A goal without a time frame can be very evasive ambition.

One Response to “What Stops You To Reach Your Goal”

1. excitedbylife says:

   April 13, 2009 at 1:54 am

   I find that sometimes I have too many goals and I keep adding “new goals” as new interests arise. Focusing on a few goals daily and turning them into habits (it takes 30 days) makes them un-stoppable. Only then can I introduce new goals and habits.