Probably none of us started life saying, “I hope I end up messing everything up.” Like everyone else, we all have the best intentions in all areas of life: relationships, health, careers or business ventures, as well as recreational activities that will contribute to our personal growth.

And yet, leaving everything to chance, or assuming that success in achieving our goals is a matter of luck, is a dangerous assumption. We deceive ourselves if we believe that destiny determines the final fulfillment of our objectives.

Sit down and take a good look at your life right now. Have you achieved most of your goals, or at least gradually getting to that point? If you feel dissatisfied, consider the following as possible culprits holding you back:

(1.) Your goals lack clarity.

Before making a definitive plan to pursue what you want, you must first decide what it is that you want. Different people set goals for different reasons. Most likely, there is an underlying motive that serves as the driving force behind every worthwhile goal.

If you only have a vague or fuzzy idea about what you want, you won’t feel compelled enough to take action.

(2.) Your goals are in conflict with each other.

Some people strive to work on multiple goals at once. This is perfectly fine if each separate objective complements or is in sync with each other. To illustrate, let’s say your goal is to learn a foreign language, such as Spanish. So you decide that the best way to learn is to take an intensive course at a foreign language school.

So, in order to pay tuition, she takes odd jobs on top of her nine-to-five schedule, like waiting tables at the Spanish restaurant near her home to get a feel for the kitchens.

Now, if you are a high school student and you want to qualify for an academic scholarship in college but spend most of your time hanging out with friends because you also consider social life important, this can cause conflict. Make sure that if you want to be on the right path to a scholarship, you strike a balance between doing homework and finding time for friends.

(3.) Your goals are unrealistic.

While it’s good to set a goal that challenges you to push yourself beyond your capabilities, there are some goals that are impossible to achieve in a given period of time. A very good example of an unrealistic goal is trying to lose 20 pounds in just one month.

A more feasible course of action would be to lose a pound or two a week, not by drastically changing your diet, but by making small sacrifices like skipping desserts, cutting back on soda, or getting up 15 minutes earlier each morning to exercise.

Your goals may also be considered unrealistic if you want to work in a certain type of career, trade, or profession, and yet you have absolutely no talent or aptitude, or even the right credentials, to stand a fighting chance of succeeding in that career. . .

For example, a career in sales requires that a person be naturally sociable and enjoy frequent person-to-person contact. People who are introverted or who have to gather their courage before making cold calls are not suitable to be salespeople.

(4.) You have no idea if you have progressed.

Objectives, to be effective, must be measurable. Ask yourself, “Am I moving in the direction I want?” or “Am I accomplishing what I’m supposed to accomplish?”

Design a system that allows you to keep track of your progress. Evaluate yourself regularly to see if you have improved.

There are times when the results of the goals that people set are not tangible. I’ve heard parents say, “I want to get closer to my kids.” Closeness can never be quantified. In order to get closer to their children, parents often need to schedule more quality time with them. While fathers are expected to provide, a mother may decide to abandon her career or juggle her schedule so she can get home early to join her family for dinner a few times a week. A parent may have most of their weekends off so they can take their kids camping or biking.

(5.) You are not fully committed.

Goal setting requires hard work, determination, and a willingness to delay gratification. Constantly making excuses or relaxing your resolve when the going gets tough will not get you to the fullness of your goals.