Six common barriers appeared during each of the conversations making it quite clear as to why my colleagues, even with the best intentions, were just not getting any closer to their desired outcomes. Below are the six barriers you’ll want to be aware of, to ensure you (or other external factors) don’t get in the way of you reaching your goals.

Barrier Number 1: Selecting another person’s goal

Is the goal you selected truly something that you desire or is it an outcome that someone else wants you to achieve? It’s far more difficult to reach a goal if you’re not really motivated to seeing the goal come to fruition. In fact you may unknowingly be causing issues and challenges to arise, therefore preventing you from reaching the outcome. So, make certain your goal is what you desire and not someone else’s desire for you. 

Barrier Number 2: Doubt outweighing certainty

Does any doubt you hold outweigh the belief and conviction that you really can achieve your goal? Doubting that you’ll ever see your goal come to fruition is certainly a significant barrier. It’s important to get clear on where that underlying doubt is coming from and deal with it so that your belief that this is achievable will continue to drive you forward. 

Barrier Number 3: Fear of success

Unfortunately the tall poppy syndrome is still well and truly alive (particularly in Australian culture) so the fear of standing out and the negative ramifications may prevent you from realizing your goal. Many of us don’t really like to stand out or are fearful of what other people will think of us so would rather stay in a situation that we know – even if it makes us uncomfortable. So what would it take for you to step into your power and forget about what others will say?

Barrier Number 4: Unhelpful external influence

Despite their best intentions, comments from friends, family and colleagues, as well as their actions can become a major block. Are they experiencing the exact same situation that you are trying to escape however through continuing your association with them, your attention, energy and focus is centered on that one (or more) thing(s) you are trying to avoid? Are their comments (or even non-verbal communications) causing increased levels of fear and doubt in you? Remember, it will be far harder to reach your goals if you are constantly being challenged by external influences. 

Barrier Number 5: Non-existent accountability

Having an accountability partner and knowing that someone is on your team and will be regularly checking in to see how you’re progressing can be very motivating. Not having this can often lead to things being put off and actions not being taken to the point that you may lose all focus. Get an accountability partner and establish regular meetings – even if they are just for 5 minutes by phone to insure you’re maintaining your momentum.

Barrier Number 6: Expecting things to just happen

Are you one of those people who have a goal and then just expect to reach it without really putting in any planning and taking any deliberate actions? I like to compare this to planning a holiday to a place you’ve never been to before, getting into the car and just driving in the hope that you’ll eventually find your way there. Would you do this? I certainly hope not! It’s important to take the time to plan and take regular steps towards your goals, rather than just waiting and hoping to achieve them.

To avoid getting in your own way I’d encourage you to work on eliminating the above barriers. Schedule time in your diary during the time of day you are at your best and commit to taking one action step during this time. Do that and you’ll certainly accelerate the time it takes to achieve your goals.

Statistics have shown that approximately three per cent of people dedicate time to write out their goals and take the necessary steps to achieve their goals. Ten per cent of people only think about the goals – not writing them down nor proactively working towards them, but rather just hoping that they’ll achieve them. Sixty per cent of people spend more time planning a holiday than they do thinking about their personal and career goals for the year ahead and just opt to casually allow things to happen. So which ‘person’ are you? Are you a ‘planner and action taker’, a ‘planner (but no follow through/action taker)’, a ‘she’ll-be-right-mate’, or perhaps even a “I-never-really-thought-about-it” type of person?

It’s amazing how hundreds of thousands of us make New Year’s resolutions on the 31st December – stating that as from the 1st January things are really going to change once and for all. We vow to change jobs, to put ourselves forward for that promotion, to finally go it alone and start that new business we’ve been dreaming about for years, and the list goes on. However, around February (or even earlier in some cases) we find our commitment and motivation wanes causing us to fall right back into our ‘safe’ and ‘comfortable’ ruts. Sound familiar?

To support you in getting out of your rut for good, here are three simple yet powerful steps that I’ve used personally and that hundreds of my clients have also used, to ensure goal achievement.

Powerful Goal Setting – Step One:

Make a list of all your goals and categorise them into three different columns (see example below). Column one should be the goals you’d like to achieve this year; column two are the goals you’d like to come to fruition in the next 2 to 5 years; and column three are your longer-term goals that you would like to have achieved within the next 5 to 10 years.

Once you have developed your list, revisit each of the columns and prioritise them from the most important through to the least important. This will allow you to gain a clearer understanding of which goal holds the most significance and importance to you, which should be located at the top of each column.

Powerful Goal Setting – Step Two:

For the first goal in you’re “My Goals (this year)” column, answer the following 6 simple yet powerful questions to begin planning the steps around what you’ll need to do in order to see your goals come to fruition.

1. What specifically do you want to achieve?

For example:
I want to work in a job that is interesting and motivating and presents opportunities for learning and growth.

2. How will you feel once you have achieved this?

Empowered, excited and extremely motivated when I think about all of the possibilities that are in store for me in my new job.

3. What are the steps you need to take to obtain this?

(a)  Research, decide on and book into a career coaching program that will allow me to answer many of my questions about potential job opportunities that are suited to my experience.

(b) Establish an action plan and time-line that will support me in achieving my goal.

(c) Set up an accountability partner to keep me on track to ensure I continue taking the action steps I need to achieve my goal.

4. What resources do you have either yourself, or through your support network, to obtain this?

(a) The desire and determination to finally do this. I DESERVE it!!

(b) Financial ability.

(c) Support from my spouse.

5. What resources do you need either yourself, or through other people to obtain this?

(a) A career coaching program that I can participate in.

(b) Time put aside in my schedule to complete activities and necessary steps.

(c) Support partner to keep me on track.

6. How will you know once you have achieved your goal? [i.e. What’s your evidence?]

Sitting at my desk in my new job – smiling, feeling confident and motivated and knowing that I’m making a real difference.

Powerful Goal Setting – Step Three:

Follow through on the action steps that you’ve outlined in point number three. Mark the completion dates for each step on your calendar and ensure you continue to work towards these steps. Research and get the support that you identified you required in question number 4, and mark these in your calendar as well.

The path ahead may seem long and almost impossible, however rather than looking at it as an enormous and unattainable goal, consider the small but empowering steps you’re taking in your journey. After all, how do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time!

Here’s to achieving all your goals in 2010.

For those of you who continue struggling on your own, you’ll be excited to learn that we’re launching an amazing program in March that will provide you with even more resources and support that will inspire you to become a planner and action taker so you can fulfil all of your goals in 2010. Keep an eye out in future blog posts.

Annemarie

So many people go from one year to another without much thought to their goals and plans for the next 12 months. Most people spend more time on planning their holidays than they do in their careers, and they wonder why they never get that promotion or worse yet find themselves in the redundancy queue during a corporate reshuffle.

If you’re ready to take charge of your career to ensure that 2010 is your best year yet, following are five very important tips that will enable you to wind down, obtain closure to 2009 while positioning yourself for an exciting and rewarding year ahead.

Tip 1: Reflect: Review and document your achievements over the past year

We all have very demanding schedules and therefore often move from one project onto the next without stepping back and recognising the successful outcomes we delivered.
Spend time reviewing some of the more significant projects you were involved in particularly if they had a positive impact on the company.

1. What was the project you were working on?
2. What was your involvement?
3. What measurable outcome did this have for the company?

To avoid forgetting or misplacing vital data I’d recommend you track your successes as they occur (rather than doing this yearly).This information is valuable which leads me to my second tip.

Tip 2: Revise: Update your résumé, LinkedIn and other online profiles

Having an updated résumé is vital so updating your marketing document annually is an important career management strategy. Putting aside time to update your résumé rather than rushing to meet a tight deadline means that it’s ready to go at a moment’s notice should an opportunity arise.

While you’re at it, update your LinkedIn and other online profiles as well to record major projects, achievements, courses you have completed and any other relevant information that will continue to support you in portraying yourself as a highly skilled thought leader in your field.

Tip 3: Research: Plan out next year’s professional goals and development opportunities

I’m sure you all know the old saying ‘Fail to plan – plan to fail’ which is certainly relevant to your career and professional growth.

While you may think your role is secure, constantly-changing markets can impact on a company’s stability, so unless you are continuing to build your employability skills and value offered you may just find yourself on the outer when the company needs to re-evaluate its workforce.

1. What training opportunities can you complete to avoid career atrophy and ensure the company doesn’t outgrow you?
2. What projects would you like to become involved in that could enhance your profile throughout the organisation?
3. Which areas of the company/department are constantly faced with issues that you know you can eliminate? This could be a great project for you to work on next year to raise your profile within the company.

Tip 4: Reconnect: Re-establish relationships with people within your network

I’ve mentioned this so many times on my Career Success Radio show, previous articles and my Twitter tips and due to the importance of this must-do career management strategy, I’m going to mention it again. Ensure that you continue to reach out and maintain contact with people in your network.
It surprises me that even though we all know how important it is to actively nurture our networks we’re still not doing this until we are forced to. Reap the rewards and benefits that networking offers through consistently building and nurturing your network over the break.

Tip 5: Recharge: Rest and recharge your batteries

Life and work balance is very important, so ensure you take the time to refresh and recharge your batteries over the break so that you can welcome in 2010 refreshed, renewed and reinvigorated.