We hear so much about the benefits of setting goals which will motivate us to be productive and achieve. Deciding what you desire may be a task that enables you to focus. Yet, maybe you know someone who has set high standards and failed to reach them?Maybe this sounds like you?

It's common to feel discouraged when you don't satisfy a need or achieve a goal. What kinds of questions are you prompted to ask yourself? Didn't I work hard enough? Were my sights too high? Do my results mean people think I'm stupid or incapable? Why didn't I set the bar lower? Will I ever achieve anything worthwhile? It's useful to reflect on matters to help you sort all this out.

1) External perception is a distraction. What other people think of your choices and results is not as important as how you view yourself. You determine the nature of your own learning curve. You may grow to respect other people's opinions of your abilities and potential, but don't accept someone else's view of who you are without reviewing and respecting your own views.

2) Reprimand will get you nowhere faster.You only have a certain amount of energy. What energy you exert to criticize, doubt, whine, complain or discourage yourself actually reduces energy available to propel you forward. Ask yourself what benefits you gain from holding yourself back this way. Self-sabotage is not an effective strategy to refine or achieve goals.

3) Check your vibes. What you think, say and do sends vibrations to your core. You influence your energy patterns, what you interpret as encouraging or discouraging. Attitude is everything.

4) Re-evaluate your time frame. Just because you haven't yet achieved a particular goal, doesn't mean all hope is lost. Time is experienced differently and awareness evolves according to may variables. Remind yourself schedules are contractible and stretchable. Work with that.

5) The way you react to your circumstances determines where you go from here. Tell yourself it doesn't matter so much what you have or haven't done. Instead, turn to what you choose to learn and how you plan to benefit from past experiences. You control moving forward.