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Why Goals Aren’t Enough to Make You Succeed in Life
By: Scottsdale Weight Loss Center
Published: May 9, 2019
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The media, your parents, mentors, and friends will tell you goals are important if you want to get ahead. Without a dream to reach for, you can’t get anywhere. Having a target, though, isn’t enough. Whether you dream big or just want to change your habits and improve your well-being, you need these extra ingredients most people don’t emphasize enough when they talk about goal setting.
Why goals aren’t enough. Goal creation is a start. You must know your destination before you can travel. Simply knowing where you want to end up, however, isn’t enough to get you there. Plenty of people set goals, especially at the beginning of the year. Not many follow through, though, and reach their targets. The problem they face stems from not knowing the direction they must traverse. When you set out on any physical journey, you first peruse a map or punch the address and postcode of your destination into a GPS. Or you may rely on a driver who knows the route to get you safely where you want to be. The same applies to your goals.
The missing ingredients. You must have a plan or your dreams will remain unmet. What’s more, your plan needs to be doable. Many people figure out strategies to help them meet success, but their aims aren’t achievable. Sometimes they aren’t practical so can’t be accomplished. At other times they are overwhelming and soon dropped.
Is your plan doable? Not only must your goal be doable, but the steps you take to meet your destination must be traversable. If you plan to get fit by going to the gym to workout, for instance, the gym has to be within a plausible distance from where you live, or you won’t go.
Are you stepping in the right direction? Likewise, your plan to become wealthy by working hard won’t work unless you work hard doing the right things. Toil away for years doing a job with poor pay, and, you’ve guessed it, you won’t make enough money to accomplish your dream.
Do you ignite your passion? Your goal and plan must also fill you with excitement. Without motivation, you won’t find success. If you merely have an interest in running your own business, but not passion, you won’t get far. Ignite your enthusiasm each day and your motivation will stay high. For example, remind yourself how your life will change when you are slim, rich, or successful in a different way. Picture yourself in the future and watch how you move and talk. Who do you spend time with most? Where do you go? How do you dress? Feed your enthusiasm with the value of reaching your goal and you won’t give up.
Can you measure progress? Even if you follow the advice provided so far, you could still fail because you must measure your success as you journey to your goal. Unless you keep an eye on your progress, you’ll have no idea whether your plan is working or failing. Once you see how effective the steps you take are, you will know whether to adjust your plan or scrap it and create a new one.
Goals are essential if you want to control your destiny and improve your life. They aren’t enough by themselves, though, to propel you toward success. To get what you want, you need clarity about where you are going and how to get there. You also need passion and to measure progress and maintain motivation. Flexibility and stamina are vital too. Create the right plan using the suggested method and you have all the ingredients required to be successful.
Nick
Nick's Story
"I wish I would have come here first. We spend all our time reacting to the next great weight loss tip or program. It might work for a while, but does not last and we end up yo-yoing from one fad to the next – as we gain more weight." Read More
Gina
Lost 44.5 lbs
"I had no trouble adhering to the meals and they really helped catapult my progress! The classes were so beneficial to me because they helped change my thinking about how I viewed health, nutrition, and fitness.
I will always have my relationship with Scottsdale Weight Loss Center. They truly helped me change my life forever." Read More
Lauren
Lost 60 lbs
"Dr. Ziltzer and everyone who I have come in contact with at the Scottsdale Weight Loss office have been so encouraging and I look forward to seeing them each week. It is now a year and 2 months later since I started. I am down 60 lbs., which is the average amount a 9-year-old weighs, it is crazy to think I lost a whole person! I feel amazing, I hit my goal weight in November 2021 just before Thanksgiving. Nothing on my body hurts anymore..." Read More
Chuck
Lost 66 lbs
"The best thing I did was call the Scottsdale Weight Loss Center. I have a lot more energy, I'm not hungry, and it feels great.
You can take it from me that this is a program that produces results. The staff is always positive, supportive, and never judgmental.
Your visits always result in positive reinforcement, no matter if you had a good week or a bad week." Read More
Emily
Lost 101 lbs
"Here I am at the lowest I have been since high school weighing in at 155lbs. I have lost 101 lbs, BMI of 39 when I started, to 21.6, and of course at body fat % of 47.1 to 26.5%. I told myself by my 30th birthday I wanted to be confident in the way I look and I owe it all to SWLC. The entire staff is so welcoming and they are rooting for you just as much as you are rooting for yourself...." Read More
Reviews
Meet Our Team
Robert Ziltzer, MD, FACP, FAAP, FOMA
Obesity Medicine Certified Physician
Diana Bone, FNP-C
Specializing in Obesity Medicine
Craig Primack, MD, FACP, FAAP, MFOMA
Obesity Medicine Certified Physician
Kristen Ash, FNP-C, FNP-BC
Nurse Practitioner
Alicia Earley, FNP-C
Family Nurse Practitioner
