I know first-hand how frustrating it can be when I feel like I’ve been working incredibly hard on something, especially for a measurable period of time, and I’m not achieving my goal.

Now that I’ve been around the block a few times I know what to look for. More often than not I’ll find it’s because I haven’t committed to it, truly. We think we are committed because we say our goal and may take a few actions here and there, but we really aren’t and it can be easy to fool ourselves if we’re not on alert for it. Lack of commitment is a sneaky slope if you’re not watching…..

Here are five signs that you are not genuinely committed to achieving your goals:

1. It doesn’t show up in your calendar. What’s important to you and the life you want to build has to show up in your calendar. And yes, you must make a commitment to follow your calendar too. In this week’s Fresh Tracks show our best-selling authors Ron and Scott share in-depth information on why this seemingly simple act is the foundation to creating a life of growth and balance. You want to be in better shape? Write a book? Make more money? Tasks leading directly to those goals should be in your calendar and followed without question.
2. You let distractions sidetrack you. One of the biggest gifts I share with my coaching clients is helping them stay focused on their goals. There are often so many options and directions to go when creating and growing, and one easy and common way to avoid fear is to go ‘sideways’ rather than forward. The action itself may be new to you, but it’s not moving you towards your goal.
3. You cannot take an inventory of what you’ve put into your commitment. You haven’t invested in it. You want to be a writer and haven’t written a word in over 20 years? Interested in starting a business? Have you attended any training’s? Workshops? Invested in a website or any materials you need? Have you managed to find money for cars and vacations? Even measuring your time can be an inventory of your commitment.
4. Have a contingency plan. If you have a back door plan you are not committed. Here is an example of having a contingency plan that I often see often with my clients. They have the intention to start a business, yet they are looking for a job at the same time. They spend their spare time scrolling though job boards and the classifieds “just in case” something good pops up.
   
   When you do this you do not realize you have unconsciously not fully committed to your business 100 percent. AND, because what you focus on expands, you are focusing on two outcomes; starting a business or getting a new job. When you do this you are planting conflicting seeds and end up sabotaging yourself and struggling with both outcomes.
5. Not sacrificing for it. It is true for anything you want to bring new into your life, you have to let something go, usually of lower value, to to make room for it. For example, you may need to sacrifice donuts for breakfast and chocolate cake for lunch if you have a goal to lose weight. You want to write a book or start a business, you may have to sacrifice time in front of the television or reading novels. You have to create space for the new.

Commitment is not about dabbling in your dreams or playing a game just because you can. The time to commit is when you are unequivocally ready to bring your dreams to reality and your behaviors should reflect your new outcomes. Don’t be fooled by thinking you are committing when you really aren’t.

Have you been talking about accomplishing a goal for a long time yet not getting there? Are you ready to discover more about creating your life with intention and purpose? I encourage you to step into the Your Dream Life free training and learn the 7 steps to creating Your Dream Life now!