WHY PEOPLE FAIL

In writing this post, I have been inspired by Gary Ryan Blair, better known as 'The GoalsGuy' on the net.

According to him, here are the ten primary reasons while people fail in life, with my humble comments:

1) ACTION WITHOUT VISION:

- Joel Arthur Barker, the Paradigm guy, calls this 'random activity';

- the vision of where one wants to go & what one wants to achieve as a result must be very clear at the onset;

- it is the clarity of vision that brings purpose & priority to what one does;

2) VISION WITHOUT ACTION:

- Joel Arthur Barker calls it 'daydreaming';

- without a game plan & without putting it to work, nothing moves (as Albert Einstein is believed to have said, "Nothing changes until something moves!";

- please read my earlier post on developing a game plan with 'SMART';

3) UNREALISTIC TIME FRAMES & EXPECTATIONS:

- from my personal experience, the typical human thirst for 'instant gratification' has partly to be blamed;

- the best way to overcome this problem to start with baby steps; e.g. next 7 days; next 30 days; next 60 days; next 90 days or so;

- having a proper time planning system also helps;

4) 'WHY' NOT CLEAR:

- in reality, there isn't enough clarity in the thought processing, particularly during the process of defining personal goals;

- put it in another way, the purpose of wanting the goals in the first place is not yet appropriately defined;

- some questions worth pondering:

1) Do I really want it? Why?; 2) Do I really need it? Why?; 3) Is it worthwhile to have it? Why?; 4) Am I prepared to do whatever it takes to get it?

5) DENIAL OF REALITY:

- for most people, it is always difficult to understand & accept that perception is reality at work;

6) CONFLICTING VALUES:

- value clarification is never an easy task;

- from my personal as well as professional experience, one often needs a coach or mentor to guide & facilitate the process;

- when I first embarked on a disciplined goal setting process with 'Dynamics of Personal Motivation' (Success Motivation Institute) during the seventies, it took me quite a long while to sort out my value system;

7) DIFFUSION OF ENERGY:

- this is trying to do too many tasks at one go, generally arising from trying to have too many goals in pursuit;

- application of Pareto's Law is essential to sorting out one's goals as well as tasks;

- it's also important to identify high-payout activities in the first place;

- the balanced 'Wheel of Life' is worth exploring;

- also, it is important to reduce personal stress levels as it depletes one's energy very quickly; hence, practising some relaxation routines is a good antidote;

- learning the best practices for email, voicemail, interruptions & procrastination will be most helpful;

8) LACK OF FOCUS:

- I reckon this has more to do with the fact that the goals & values which one wants are not properly defined in the first place;

- I believe not realising the difference between urgency & importance, particulary relating to task management, also contributes to the problem;

- also the fear of making mistakes often aggravates the thinking, resulting in poor focus;

- for those readers who have undergone outdoor adventure training, the 'swinging log' provides the most enriching 'real-world' experience of the 'lack of focus';

- be very clear about what one wants in life;

9) TRYING TO DO IT ALL ALONE:

- the saying 'No Man is an island' is very true;

- networking or the buddy system often expedites the goal achieving process;

10) FEAR OF FAILURE:

- To me, I think the 'wanting to look good among the peers' is a greater problem that the 'fear of failure';

- the best way to overcome this is to take baby steps mentioned earlier & tie in a reward system for successive completion of each step;

- another way to deal with this problem is ask yourself: what is the worst case scenario if things go wrong? for me; if it is not life & death, then it is not a major issue to be concerned with, as long the contingent plans are in place to deal with it;

- also, learn how to relax, because worrying is another important issue that often arises from this problem;

[Gary Ryan Blair is President of The GoalsGuy. He helps business owners, corporate executives & sales professionals manage their time, set their priorities, & stay focused so they can achieve their goals, grow their business, & be more successful.]