It's all in the process

There’s no doubt that setting goals gives your life focus. Achieving goals feels fantastic — but do you believe you are only successful when you achieve your goals and a failure when you don’t?

For a long time, I felt great when I achieved my goals and like a failure when I didn’t. As a result, for many years I didn’t like setting goals. I felt it was a waste of time when I didn’t know with certainty that I would achieve them.

When I wouldn’t achieve my goals I’d feel like I hadn’t “given it my all”; I’d feel like I hadn’t worked hard enough. I felt as if I had failed. I felt like a failure. I didn’t feel energised and motivated to pick myself up and keep going, so the whole goal-setting process felt exhausting and uninspiring! Maybe you can relate.

I didn’t always feel this way. When I was younger I loved setting goals and I did whatever it took to reach those goals. I loved the high when I achieved a goal and the feeling of success that flowed. However, pushing hard to achieve my goals came at a cost and that cost was to my health.

Only six months after achieving one of my greatest