The Hidden Flaw in Goal Setting That's Holding You Back

Have you ever achieved a major business goal only to find yourself immediately chasing the next one, never quite reaching that feeling of "enough"? Or watched your team hit their numbers but still seem unsatisfied?

There's a fundamental reason why traditional goal setting often leaves us running on an endless treadmill – and it's not what most professional development programs tell you.

After 37 years researching how we create results in business and life, I've discovered something that radically changes the game. It's not another productivity hack or motivation technique. It's a profound shift in how we approach achievement itself.

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Here's what I found: The goals that consistently elude us aren't failing because they're too ambitious. They're failing because we're attaching the wrong expectations to them.

Consider this scenario: A business owner sets a revenue target to "finally feel secure" or an executive pushes for a promotion to "earn respect from peers." These seem like natural motivations, but they're actually setting themselves up for frustration. Why? Because external achievements can't deliver permanent emotional states.

Think about it: Have you ever noticed how the goalposts keep moving? That dream position becomes a steppingstone to the next level. The revenue milestone that once seemed impressive now feels ordinary. The team's recognition that once would have been enough now leaves you wanting more.

Through years of coaching high-achievers, I've developed a methodology that breaks this cycle. It's built on timeless principles rather than trending techniques, and it's transformed how my clients approach both their business and personal goals.

This doesn’t mean you stop wanting to accomplish great things; it’s just that you will want to accomplish them to accomplish them, from a pure, I’m inspired to do this, place, which is true freedom and aliveness.?

The key insight? We need to separate what we want to achieve from what we want to feel.

For example:

- Instead of running a team meeting to feel like an inspiring leader, focus on delivering clear information and getting concrete commitments

- Rather than pursuing revenue goals to feel secure, pursue them simply because growth serves your business's mission

- Instead of chasing client acquisitions for validation, seek them because serving more clients aligns with the work you want to do and the difference you want to make

This subtle shift changes everything. When we stop trying to use achievements as emotional band-aids, we actually become more effective at reaching our goals. Why? Because we're no longer dividing our attention between the goal itself and constantly checking whether we feel better yet.

What's even more fascinating is that the very challenges we usually try to avoid – discomfort, uncertainty, fear of failure – become doorways to breakthrough performance when we approach them with this understanding.

Our seemingly impossible goals are more than possible when we make them our primary focus. The added benefit is that along the way we examine the roadblocks in a way that they disappear, and we experience more and more freedom and joy. Not because we accomplished the goal, but because we pursued our true desires and did the work to clear the impasses.?

Ask yourself, “Are any of my goals related to me hoping I will feel more successful, more respected, more worthy, happier, more loved, wealthier, more secure, validated?” If so, those needs are actually obstacles.

One element of this methodology is a process of inquiry. We don’t try to resolve or make challenges go away. Inquiry is simply turning toward what's happening with curiosity instead of judgment - asking "What am I believing right now?" or other questions that help you see what is happening with new eyes. You see what emerges when you genuinely look.

It's an invitation to listen to your experience more deeply than your usual narrative, allowing insights to reveal themselves naturally. That’s when transformation occurs.

You become free of the hold that doubts and fears usually have. Whole new worlds of possibility open that weren’t available before.

Ready to explore how this methodology could transform your approach to achievement? To changing careers? Let's have a conversation about applying these principles to your specific situation. The insights I've gathered over nearly four decades of research and coaching could be the missing piece you've been looking for.?

Message me to schedule a call (no sales) with me to discover:

- How to identify which of your goals are truly achievable (hint: size isn't the limiting factor)

- Why traditional professional development and career change might have left you feeling stuck

- A proven approach that merges practical results with lasting fulfillment

Your next level of achievement and/or career path isn't about pushing harder – it's about seeing clearer.