Why Habits are Better than Goals

By this point you've probably already failed at keeping your New Year's Resolution. Why is that?

You had the best of intentions, plus you were highly motivated when you made them.

Besides your goals not always being S.M.A.R.T...

Specific
Measurable
Attainable
Realistic
Timely

The main culprit is ONCE you fail to complete a goal, RARELY will you continue to pursue it. 

Let me explain further. Most goals can't fully be controlled by you. For example, if you're a salesperson, your goal may be to make $5,000 a month. That's a good number, but there are too many factors that are out of your control. A better HABIT would be to make 50 cold calls a day and base your results around that.

The reason why HABITS are better than GOALS is because they are only controlled by you. That means it's 100% dependent upon your efforts.

In my line of work as a career coach, most of my clients come to me with the goal of finding a new job. One of the first things I tell them is I can't promise to find you a job. What I can do is share what I've seen as successful habits and hold you accountable to completing those tasks. If you maintain good HABITS, you'll eventually reach your GOALS.

Goals are about the RESULT.
Habits are about the PROCESS.

Once you change your focus from setting goals to creating good habits (and having someone/something keep you accountable for them) you're on the right path. In this world of instant gratification, everyone wants to be the quick rabbit when in fact it's the slow and steady turtle that wins the race.

Form good HABITS and you'll eventually get the RESULTS you want!