Why people give up on their goals after January

Lack of congruence
It is important to set goals that easily keep you motivated throughout the year and a major way to do that is to ensure that they are connected to your gifts, natural abilities and passions. Many people unfortunately shoot themselves in the foot by setting goals that they are not passionate about or have any interest in. And they wonder why they always end up going round in circles and never achieve their goals on a yearly basis. If your goals are not linked to your passions and natural abilities, you would probably end up being frustrated when faced with challenges. The risk of failure would also be high due to lack of resilience and zest that only comes when you have a goal that is meaningful.
Lack of clarity
Not only is it important to have goals, it is equally as vital to write them down. A study was done by Harvard business school on their graduating MBA students in 1979, with an aim to assess the link between goal-setting and long-term success. The researchers found that only 3 percent of the students wrote their goals down, and ten years later the same group of students ended up earning ten times more than the remaining 97 percent put together. The power of writing down goals should not be underestimated. It provides clarity of purpose as well as a sense of responsibility, accountability and urgency, which increases the chances of success.
Lack of ownership
One of the most important things a person could do for their development is to take full responsibility for their goals. Some people play the blame game or have a ‘que sera, sera’ approach towards their dreams. They set their goals for the year and just hope everything falls into place without putting the necessary strategies, milestones and metrics needed to make the goal a reality. As natural or tempting as it could be to have a passive attitude, lack of intentionality towards our goals only encourages procrastination and robs us of fulfilling potential. So rather than saying ‘whatever will be, will be’, try replacing it with ‘if it’s meant to be, it’s up to me’.








