The 4 Factors That Will Sabotage Your 2022 Goals

Nine years ago this week, I wrote my first post on?this site?after declaring to my wife in the stands at our sons’ hockey practice that I would become a regular writer. It was a goal that seemed absurd at the time: young kids, busy work schedule, and no strong background or training in writing. Yet despite these headwinds, every one to two weeks for the past nine years, I’ve added another post.

When I look back, I realize that I’ve had to regularly overcome four sabotaging factors. In fact, these four factors have tried to sabotage every important goal I’ve ever tried to face. They sabotage people’s goals every day.

Over 80% of new year goals are abandoned?by February. You don’t want that to be you, do you???

Let’s look at the predictable sabotaging factors that will be certain to crush your goals if you don’t see them coming and meet them head on:

1. Boredom.?Boredom is part of life, but as James Clear, bestselling author of “Atomic Habits,”?writes, “Somehow, top performers in any craft figure out a way to fall in love with boredom, put in their reps, and do the work.”? Robert Frost, one of the greatest poets in American history, is a good example of this. He regularly wrote poetry for 20 years without any fame or success. It wasn’t until he was 39 years old that he sold anything! He then went on to win the Pulitzer Prize for poetry four times, and his poems have now been published in 22 languages. Despite having very little immediate gratification for his effort, he just kept at it every day. Will you?
2. Rejection.?Perhaps the greatest fear we face is to be rejected or abandoned by others. Yet, too often, others reject our pursuit of growth. Take the case of?Howard Schultz,?who describes his first year trying to start a chain of coffee shops: “I spoke to 242 people, and 217 of them said no. Try to imagine how disheartening it can be to hear that many times why your idea is not worth investing in…It was a very humbling time.”? If he had given up after 200 rejections, there’d be no Starbucks. Are you ready to persevere, even in the face of rejection?
3. Discomfort.?According to the?Pleasure Principle, we’re all hardwired to avoid pain and discomfort, which makes the story of NFL quarterback?Peyton Manning?even more amazing. Going into the 2011 season, Manning endured multiple neck surgeries and spinal fusion surgery, leading many to conclude his career was over. His own team cut him the following season.? In 2013, just two years after the supposed career-ending surgeries, Manning shattered offensive records while throwing for 5,477 yards and 55 touchdowns for his new team the Broncos. In 2016, he led them all the way to their Super Bowl championship win. Like Manning, you just have to be ready to suffer if you want to grow.
4. Reactivity.?Bestselling author Chris McChesney?calls it?“The Whirlwind” of life: the daily demands that beg you to distraction. If the other three don’t sabotage your goals, The Whirlwind surely will.? To avoid this, perhaps we should try to channel the thinking of Steve Jobs. According to Jobs biographer?Walter Isaacson, a few weeks after returning to Apple in 1997, Jobs had had enough.?“Stop!” he shouted. “This is crazy.” Then he drew a two-by-two grid on the whiteboard. “Here’s what we need,” he declared.?He labeled the two columns “Consumer” and “Pro” and labeled the two rows “Desktop” and “Portable.” Their job, he told the team, was to focus on four great products, one for each quadrant. All other products should be canceled.?There was a stunned silence. But by getting Apple to focus on making just four computers, he saved the company. According to Jobs: “Deciding what not to do is as important as deciding what to do.”

I assure you that boredom, rejection, discomfort, and reactivity have done their best to sabotage me from writing over these nine years. If you’ve gotten any value from this post, I can only attribute it to some victory over these four forms of sabotage every week.?

You can claim victory too. You can achieve your goals for 2022!

Where are you most likely to be sabotaged this week?

Patterns are Inevitable. Growth is Optional. Check out my award-winning book Four Patterns of Healthy People to become more aware of the healthy and unhealthy patterns in your thoughts, relationships, ego, and daily operations.

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About the Author. Matt Norman coaches and advises executives on how to build great people and culture. He is President & CEO of Norman & Associates, which offers custom coaching and consulting in the areas of talent strategy, personal effectiveness, planning, and goal alignment. Norman & Associates also provides Dale Carnegie cohort-style action learning programs to help people improve how they communicate, lead, influence, and work together.

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