Why most people don’t set goals, hence defaulting into settling for average, or accepting life as it comes.

In today’s article, I want us to go right into the bones.

#1. First of all, there is this category of people who don’t set their goals because they’ve become too familiar with the subject of goal setting that they take it casually. No wonder they are casualties!

For a very long time, I was in this category. I had heard about goal setting so much that the topic became boring to me. Ironically, I never applied what I took to be so obvious! Every time someone would talk about goals, my inflated ego would interject and begin screaming in my head. I would immediately switch off, dismissing everything with the following phrase running in my head: “I know that already. Don’t you have something new?”

In retrospect, I’ve found that there is a great danger with familiarity. When we become too familiar with things, we tend to take them for granted. As a result, we fail to benefit from the gifts such things present to us. The ancient aphorism counsels, “Familiarity breeds contempt.” Perhaps the preceding statement will open our eyes to see the hidden treasure in the lessons we take for granted:

What matters in life is not how much you know but what you do with what you know to make a difference.

#2. Secondly, most people don’t set their goals because they are too busy. They are too busy to have quiet time to reflect on their life, hence they are stuck in a rut and their life runs on autopilot, like a programmed robot.

Really, it is disturbing that so many people today have been lured to think that busyness means progress. For this reason, they have allowed work-overload and frenzy-activities to deny them the privilege of connecting with their true selves.

Let me ask you: When was the last time you slowed down, switched off everything, and just had a meeting with yourself?

When was the last time you slowed down to just reflect and think about your life?

Taking time to think and reflect on how you are living is the most important gift you can give yourself. It clarifies your purpose and mission. Instead of finding out that you climbed the wrong mountain on the final stretch, it helps you figure out the right mountain from the onset. I have found that the best way to increase personal productivity is not by increasing speed, rather, it’s actually by slowing down, examining your life, and strategizing based on your most important goals. In the words of the ancient Greek Philosopher, Socrates, “Unexamined life is not worth living.”

Take a moment to ponder on the words of Matthew Kelly, the author of The Rhythm of Life:

“On the one hand, we all want to be happy. On the other hand, we all know the things that make us happy. But we don’t do those things. Why? Simple. We are too busy. Too busy doing what? Too busy trying to be happy.” That is the paradox of our time.

#3. Thirdly, most people don’t set goals because they simply don’t know how to set effective goals. What they call goals are vague wishes which only leads to disappointments. You see, having vague goals is like walking into a restaurant and saying “I am hungry. I need food.” You will stay hungry until you order something.

#4. Finally, a great number of people don’t set goals because they don’t really understand the value of goal setting. Until you know the value of something, you will not treasure it.

If you like, check out: The Ultimate Goal Setting Guide.