While working on goals is a conscious decision, you may not realize the things you are doing unconsciously that are preventing you from achieving your goals.

We all try to recognize the importance of setting goals throughout our lives to get things done; but among those of us who actually set goals, only a minority are actually able to achieve them.

This is strange, considering the fact that many people actually set up small and achievable personal goals.

What’s keeping you from achieving your goals?

Before you sit down and think about your goals, one useful tip I can impart to you is to ensure that you are working on smart goals. And I’m not just talking about wise goals; I’m also referring to the SMART method: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and within a Timeframe.

But don’t worry, even if you’ve already started working on some goals, it’s not too late to reassess them. You can still examine what changes you can make for each of them to be SMART.

Establishing healthy personal goals will contribute to personal as well as professional development; as everyone can benefit from a well-rounded leader. But more importantly, you should also be aware of things that you may be doing now that is preventing you from achieving your goals. Here are some things to think about.

1. Comparing yourself to others

Maybe you aren’t fulfilling your goals because you keep putting on the brakes as you compare yourself to others. We all do things at our own pace, and shouldn’t be comparing how quick or efficient we are in achieving something.

Each person has their own unique challenges to overcome. Seek inspiration from other people, instead of feeding on greed and jealousy as these attitudes will do nothing but stifle you.

2. Working on too many projects at the same time

While it’s easy to start many personal projects that you believe will benefit you in the future, you might not be able to finish them.

It’s good to be a person of many ideas, and who wants to achieve many things. But if you put too much pressure on yourself to do too many, you’ve lost the battle before you’ve even begun.

You must realize that time is limited, and you should work on the goals you can achieve first. When you have finished, there will be enough time to continue working on other personal projects.

There is a time and space for everything; just don’t try to do everything all at once.

3. Having a negative attitude

Pessimism is the worst quality to have if you are trying to achieve personal goals.

If you think that you won’t be successful, it definitely is the biggest hindrance to achieving your goals.

For some people, working on an optimistic attitude takes time and work, but it will be the best investment you can make for your own personal growth.

4. Inactivity

Behind each personal goal is a certain set of actions that you need to do, or habits to be formed, in order to get them done.

For example, if you are looking to become healthy, you need to integrate nutritious food habits into your daily lifestyle. This means eating fruit in the morning instead of bacon, and replacing your coffee with green tea, and so on.

You must work on your actions so as not to fall behind on your personal goals.

5. Working without a higher purpose

Most people think that goals are simply writing objectives down on a piece of paper, and ticking them off as they go along. This could not be further from the truth.

In order to achieve your personal goals, you need to understand exactly why certain goals are relevant to you, and how they can help you become a better person. Without a higher purpose, it becomes easy to give up on your goals.

Knowing your purpose and why you want to achieve what you want to achieve will keep you motivated to stay on the journey when the going gets tough.

Goals are work in progress

Now all you need to do is to work on any of the five you recognise in your life. This will help you develop a new mindset and approach to achieving your goals.

But don’t be too hard on yourself; goals are a work in progress. By eliminating the negative things listed above, you are already halfway through achieving your goals.

What’s stopping you from achieving your goals?