We are 31 days into 2023 and a whopping 80% of us have already given up on our New Year’s Goals. (I differentiate between resolutions and goals in that resolutions focus on transformation while goals emphasize accomplishment.) Every year, our dreams of a brand-new start bring us hope and excitement—be it for a "New You," a career transition, or starting down an unknown path. Yet all too often we allow ourselves to fall into the trap of old habits within weeks. We give up on pursuing something that's out of our comfort zone and instead settle back into what's familiar. Why have most of us already given up on something that could lead to more joy, greater self-assurance, and a motivation to strive for even bigger successes?
4 Reasons Why We Don’t Achieve Our Goals
Harvard University Professor Steven Kraus and Dominican University's Dr. Gail Matthews recognized a need for research into why we fail to reach our goals. They conducted a study of 267 people over four weeks and guess what happened? An alarming 118 participants failed to complete the study! The 149 people that finished had been randomly assigned to one of the 4(+1) groups that were asked to complete the following tasks:
- Write down your goals
- Write down your goals, and make a plan
- Write down your goals, make a plan, and tell a friend
- Write down your goals, make a plan, tell a friend, and commit to weekly updates
As a part of their study, another group was asked to simply "Have a Goal," but I've excluded that one from our discussion since without a goal we would have nothing to discuss! Just telling yourself that you have a goal isn't enough to help accomplish it. If you are serious about reaching your aspirations, there are 3 essential steps necessary to ensure success. By a large margin, the most successful people in the study were the ones who created what I call a Goal Team. To stay accountable to their mission, they shared their objectives with a trustworthy partner or small group of friends, committed to a plan, and agreed to provide weekly progress reports to their Goal Team.
Make a Goal, Build a Goal Team, Create Commitments
Without question, this makes perfect sense to me. In SEAL Team, we relied heavily on our teams and kept tabs on their progress through goals that were regularly tracked and reported on. Our lives depended on it. For the past three decades, Goal Teams have been the foundation of my success and growth. From physical health to personal relationships to professional accomplishments, these teams have helped me reach goals in all areas of my life with purpose and intentionality. They have helped me lose weight, run a triathlon, climb several of the 7 summits, invent products, build businesses, live overseas, write books, and yes, even raise my family of four high-energy athletic boys.
Are you tired of the status quo, want to achieve more, and need help to follow through on your dreams? You can do more than simply think about success; you can start building now! By forming a Goal Team to help you stay committed and focused on your journey, you can make those goals come alive. It’s the perfect way to ensure success and have someone to celebrate with you when you reach your destination. The Harvard/Dominican University study supports what I have experienced for over 30 years—when there is a weekly social commitment in place, you will push yourself out of your comfort zone to achieve more than you originally thought possible.
GoalBud Will Revolutionize Your Level of Success
I believe so much in the power and effectiveness of Goal Teams that formed my own Goal Team to help you (and the world) achieve your goals. My “Bud,” aka my Goal Team partner, is John Keagy. He’s a long-time friend, mountain-climbing partner (he recently climbed Mt. Everest, and I was his remote “Bud”), and software expert. We have been in stealth mode for the past year, working together with our Goal Teammates on a super-simple, free software app that enables you to form Goal Teams quickly and effectively with friends you trust. Our app called GoalBud launches on March 1, 2023.
Join the GoalBud Revolution
We get inspired when helping others to Be Unstoppable, and we believe that you will take that inspiration to a whole new level when you join forces with your friends and help them Be Unstoppable at reaching their goals. Successful goal journeys lead to more joy, greater self-assurance, and a motivation to strive for even bigger successes. That’s why we created GoalBud—to give you the support, focus, and accountability you need to accomplish more than you originally thought possible.
Are you ready to join the revolution? In preparation for the launch of the GoalBud app, here is your homework until the next GoalBud blog post drops on February 08, 2023:
- Write down your goal, and answer the following question: “Why is this goal important to me, and who will benefit if I achieve it?”
Get ready for an extraordinary year in 2023 because you will be learning how to create Goal Teams to help you reach your goals faster than ever!
Here’s to being Unstoppable together in 2023!
Alden
