Have you ever wondered why is it that only a few people achieve their goals? When I say goals, I primarily mean the fitness goals we set for ourselves, but this applies to literally anything else you set your mind to accomplish. Is it because some people are just lazy? Or it is because some people just don’t have the dedication? Well, let me give you my take on this.  

I don’t believe that the people who don’t reach their goals are lazy. In fact, I can almost guarantee that everyone is willing to put in the effort. Isn’t that why they create the goal in the first place? Think about it, the only reason one actually creates a ‘goal’ is that they accept the fact that it is going to take some kind of dedication and effort to achieve it. If you knew it was something you could get easily any time you wanted, you wouldn’t classify it as a goal. When a person makes a goal, they know they are making a commitment. So why is it that even though they have the will to put an effort, they fail to accomplish what they want?

1. Relying on motivation

Here’s one of the biggest reasons why I feel people fail to achieve their goals. You simply cannot rely on motivation as the factor driving your efforts. We have all been there, haven’t we? Whenever we start something new, let’s say, our quest to achieve a new goal we have set for ourself, we have an unbelievably high level of motivation. You know what I’m talking about. Just take the New Years resolution as an example of this. It’s January 1st and your motivation levels are through the roof. This high level of motivation encourages you to work hard with full dedication. Over time, this motivation slowly fades away, and the chances of you reaching your goal slowly reduce. In fact, research shows that the majority of the people who set a resolution to start exercising give up on it just a few months into the year. This is exactly what I mean. It wasn’t that these people didn’t want to put an effort. It was just that they tried to link their effort with the motivation they had and that’s where they went wrong. 

So how do you go about fixing this? It’s simple. Don’t rely on motivation. Don’t get me wrong, motivation plays an important role in everything you do. What I mean is that one shouldn’t get overly dependent upon it in a way such that they just stop putting in the effort needed if the motivation starts to fade away. 

Instead, teach yourself to put in the work no matter how high or low your level of motivation is. This simply means Discipline. 

Discipline is the one thing which will guarantee you reaching your goals. It is a lot more powerful than you assume it to be. And this is exactly why it is difficult to accomplish. Here’s how discipline changes the game. Now you focus on putting in the effort because it is a part of your behavior. Not because you are feeling motivated. For example, with discipline, just because you aren’t feeling it doesn’t mean you can actually skip the workout. Your discipline will help you instill a strong mental fortitude which will make it so much more easier for you to reach your goals. 

What if you feel you are disciplined and still aren’t reaching your goals? 

2. Stuck with a poor Self-Image

If you don’t know what self-image means, think of it as what you feel of yourself. Simply put, your self-image is what you think about your appearance and abilities. It is something that is not very easily changed. For example, think of a person who says 'I just won't be able to do this’ without even giving it a shot with full dedication. That is simply a case of having a poor self-image. No, improving your self-image doesn’t mean you over exaggerate what you truly feel you are capable of. Think of it as being more positive and having faith in yourself. Before you make a general assumption about yourself, think if you have actually put in a 100% effort on a consistent basis. If you keep saying things like ‘I just can’t stick to my diet plan’ or ‘I just can’t seem to put on weight’ just because you feel that way about yourself, you will make it extremely hard to reach your goal. Once you learn to believe in yourself and start putting in the work, you’ll realize you’re capable of a lot more than you think. Try to improve your self-image over time by making small changes. If your goal is to become fit, start taking the necessary steps to align your self-image with your goal. If you can’t picture yourself sticking to your plan and working hard few months down the line, you aren’t going to stick to it. It’s as simple as that. Once you truly change what you think of yourself, you’ll be one step closer to achieving your goals.

Well, what if you are someone who has a good self-image, are disciplined in your approach, and still, feel that you aren’t achieving your goals?

3. Instant gratification

This is where the best of us go wrong. Instant gratification is the temptation to gain satisfaction in the short term in return for a benefit in the long term. A simple example would be, you telling yourself ‘I’ve worked hard this week, a few extra slices of pizza will not do harm to my progress’. You know very well that you aren't supposed to be making that decision and you know that it isn’t helping you move towards your goal, but the satisfaction it provides you immediately makes you willingly forego the future benefit, here being, achieving your goal. This can be applied to tons and tons of scenarios because it is just the human tendency to want everything as soon as possible. The solution to this is pretty straightforward but is very difficult to implement. All you have to do is ask yourself if your action will take you a step closer or a step away from your goal. If you realize you are compromising the future benefit for more satisfaction in the present, just stop yourself. As I said, this is easier said than done. All you can do is try to put all your efforts into realizing the consequence of your actions and prevent yourself from making mistakes.

Conclusion

The difference between achievers and non-achievers is only that achievers try to put a continuous effort to monitor and fix the steps needed to be taken to achieve their goals. It is very important to not rely on motivation as the stimulus to our efforts. Becoming disciplined and improving our self-image can make us feel a lot more confident in our own abilities thus making it easier for us to accomplish what we want. Once we start putting in the work, it is important to remind ourselves to delay the gratification we provide ourselves by not making choices that take us in the wrong direction. All this being said, no matter who you are, always remember that you are doing this for yourself. Don’t chase perfection and just focus on learning from your mistakes and improving. Do not get attached to a certain self-image. Do not get attached to the idea of achieving perfection. Most importantly, try to do what is in your control and do NOT get attached to the end goal.