{"id":3579,"date":"2025-08-06T05:06:03","date_gmt":"2025-08-06T05:06:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/aworkinprogresscw.com\/?p=3579"},"modified":"2026-02-25T07:16:42","modified_gmt":"2026-02-25T07:16:42","slug":"work-it-goal-setting-that-grows-with-you","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/aworkinprogresscw.com\/pt\/2025\/08\/06\/work-it-goal-setting-that-grows-with-you\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Your Goals Keep Falling Apart (And How to Fix It)"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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I am the queen of goal setting\u2014I love setting goals! And to be honest, it\u2019s served me well. Back in college, I was totally over it. I wanted out as soon as possible. Now, I\u2019m not the brightest bulb in the box, but when I want something, I double down and figure out how to get it done.<\/p>\n

I did tons of research, called my academic advisor more times than she probably appreciated, and realized that if I took a three-week astronomy class over winter break and a correspondence course during the year, I could graduate a full year early.<\/p>\n

I still remember walking into her office with my homemade academic plan, ready for her to just rubber stamp it. She read through it silently, muttering things like, \u201cWell, you\u2019ll need to\u2026oh, you did that\u2026hmm, this won\u2019t\u2014wait\u2026oh, okay\u2026where do I sign?\u201d
And yes\u2014I graduated with 121 credits (would\u2019ve done 120 if I could\u2019ve).<\/p>\n

Back then, I loved the research\u2014and I\u2019ll admit, I took pride in showing up the person who was technically paid to help me. That was my 20s.<\/p>\n

Since then, life has gotten more complicated.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s be real: if I tried to pull off that kind of plan now? Yeah… I wouldn\u2019t be bragging about it. Kids have a way of throwing a beautifully crafted plan straight into the flu-season blender.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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\"A goal is a dream with a deadline.\" \u2014 Napoleon Hill<\/h5>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Goal setting in your 30s and 40s? Totally different game.<\/strong><\/p>\n

I\u2019ve had to learn how to pivot, reflect on what\u2019s actually<\/em> important to me, and (hardest of all) ask for help. Like I always say:
\u201cWe are all a work in progress.\u201d<\/strong>
But progress is still progress.<\/p>\n

Just because something doesn\u2019t happen on our timeline\u2014or doesn\u2019t look the way we imagined\u2014doesn\u2019t mean it\u2019s less valuable.<\/p>\n

And since goals are work<\/em>, let\u2019s break it down and spell it out.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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W \u2014 What do you want to accomplish?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Like any good goal, we need to clearly define what we\u2019re trying to achieve.<\/p>\n

In my case, I wanted to get out of school<\/em>. But that\u2019s not specific enough\u2014I could\u2019ve dropped out! (Then I wouldn\u2019t be writing this fabulous article for you.)<\/p>\n

My actual goal? Graduate in 3 years.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s your goal? Try to be specific\u2014especially at the beginning. (And yes, I say at the beginning<\/em> for a reason…we\u2019ll come back to that.)<\/p>\n

Being specific gives us the fire we need to take action. Vague goals like \u201cI want to get healthy\u201d<\/em> don\u2019t usually lead to change.
But \u201cI want to ride in my first marathon\u201d<\/em>? Now that can light a spark.<\/p>\n

O \u2014 Open your mind to other possibilities<\/strong><\/p>\n

I know\u2014I just hyped you up and now I\u2019m asking you to chill out a little. Hear me out.<\/p>\n

Have you ever gotten so locked in on a specific goal that you forgot why you set it in the first place? Same.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s go back to our marathon friend. Say she breaks her leg right before the race. Total bummer. But\u2014what did she actually<\/em> achieve? What was the bigger picture?<\/p>\n

Remember, her original goal was \u201cI want to get healthy.\u201d That\u2019s still valid!<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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Sometimes we have to revisit our why<\/strong>:<\/p>\n