Stages of a Goal

I hope your new year has gotten off to a great start. It’s interesting how it works. We start out on January 1 fresh and new and excited.
This is going to be the year that everything works. We set goals and make resolutions. Everything’s going to be great!
Chances are though, by the time many of you read this, you will have given up on your goal for 2010. You’ve hit some obstacles and may be thinking that it’s just too hard. If that’s you, keep reading.
If you haven’t and are still barreling toward your goals, good for you! Keep reading! You’re going to hit some obstacles at some point and feel like giving up.
Everyone who has ever set a goal needs to know this.
When you set a goal, there are a series of stages that you’ll go through before you achieve it. It’s perfectly natural and part of the process. I’m going to take you through each one. As you’re reading, think about where you are and where you want to be.
The first stage, of course, is setting the goal! You know what you want. You have specific goal and a specific plan to get it. You’ve made a list and you’re ready to get started, but not everyone is cooperating. That’s okay; you’re going to keep going on.
Stage two is challenges. Appointments are cancelling. There was a huge snowstorm that kept you and everyone else inside for a week and you had to stay home and take care of the kids.
Those huge accounts that you just KNEW you were going to get just called to say they were going another route. Yikes!
This leads to stage three – denial, rationalization and justification. You really didn’t need that new house or vacation anyway. Your income is good enough.
Besides, your family is complaining and they come first. If this goal was really for you, it wouldn’t be this hard. GOD MUST BE TRYING TO TELL ME SOMETHING! (That’s my favorite.)
Stage four is paralysis. You don’t do anything. At this point, you don’t even know what to do. Nothing is happening. You can’t talk to anyone about it.
Maybe if you don’t say anything, everyone will forget your goals. You’re thinking, “I don’t really have what it takes to do this.”

Stage five is recommitment. You‘ve made a decision! You really do want that home or vacation for your family. You go back to work. You can do this!
The final stage is when you achieve your goal. You always knew you could do it!
What stage are you in? Wherever you are, know that EVERYONE goes through these stages for every goal they set. It doesn’t matter what kind of goal it is.
I used a professional example of a salesperson, but it works for any goal whether it’s to lose weight, make more money, quit smoking or even flossing your teeth.
This is the process. The faster you get through the denial and paralysis stages and on to recommitment; the more successful you will be.
Often just being aware of these stages will snap you out of denial or paralysis. I’m sure some of you have moved into the recommitment stage as you read this.
If you haven’t, then sign up for our Own Your Life webinar. Okay, even if you have, sign up for it. It is designed to teach you how to get through this process and stay focused on your goals.
You can set all the goals you want, but if you’re not reaching them, they’re not doing you any good. Learning to stay focused is how you get the life you want.