There’s a study from Scranton University showing that out of 100 people who set goals, 92 of them fail at them. And this means that only a tiny group of 8 people who set goals actually achieve them. And your mission is to join the minority 8.

If you want to achieve your goals, you have to take preventive measures to NOT fail at them. You have to scan for warning signs before you quit and abandon your goals.

When people first set their goals, they are motivated and driven to take action and to do whatever it takes to achieve them. However, as time goes by, they started to lose confidence and their motivation started to wane, and eventually, they quit.

So never let this happen to you. Take the preventive measures and look out for these 7 warning signs before you fail at your goals:

1. You started to lose steam

This is one of the most common reasons people fail to achieve their goals. We all know that success is not easy and it requires consistent hard work over the long-term. When you poured in the effort but are not getting the result you desire, you will lose your drive. And if you let it continue, you will lose your confidence and eventually, let go of your goals.

Motivation is important because it is what gets you started. If you don’t have the drive, you will never do the work. And if you don’t do the work, you will never get the result you want.

Therefore, do something to keep yourself motivated each day. Read stories and articles about how other people did it. Talk to other successful people and network with them to keep your energy high.

“It’s not that I’m so smart, it’s just that I stay with problems longer.” – Albert Einstein

2. Feeling overwhelming and not sure what to do

This is another common reason people fail at their goals. Usually, people will start strong and they are ambitious. They set big goals and they overestimate themselves. It is just like what Tony Robbins has to say, “Most people overestimate what they can do in one year and underestimate what they can do in ten years.”

They set their yearly goals too big and too unrealistic. Somehow, their mind sabotages the idea even before they begin their journey. Thus, they feel overwhelmed and not sure what to do.

If this happens to you, apply the ‘how do you eat an elephant’ principle right away. Break down your goals into smaller chunks that are more manageable and act on the smaller pieces right away.

3. Not doing anything about your goals

When you don’t do anything about your goals, you know that it is a clear sign that you are about to give up on your goals. This is simply because if you are serious about your goals, you will never sit still and do nothing. Instead, you will go all out and do whatever it takes to accomplish them.

This is why people often said, “You are what you do, and not what you say you will do.” It is about what you do. Your goals are just your plans for the future. If you don’t act on them, nothing will come true. Goals are just ideas put into words with plans.

4. Fail to give your goals proper attention

Do you forget about your goals from time to time? If you do, be extra careful because it is a sign that you may totally forget about your goals in the end. Successful people such as Steve Jobs, Richard Branson, Elon Musk, Bill Gates, etc, they will never forget about their goals.

In fact, they keep their goals, their vision and their dreams in their head at every moment. They just can’t help but to consistently think about achieving what they want in life. And if you don’t give your goals the attention they require, you will eventually forget about them because there are just too many distractions and shiny opportunities out there.

So review your goals daily. Practice active goal setting, do affirmations and visualize your goals every day.

5. Not feeling committed

When you write down 5 tasks you need to accomplish on your to-do list and you don’t accomplish any of them, you know it very well that something is wrong. It has to do with your commitment. If you still have work to do but you are feeling sleepy, do you choose to sleep or do you choose to stay up late to work on the task?

When you are not committed, there is a high chance that you will fail at achieving your goals. Extraordinary people who accomplished amazing results in life are extremely committed to their goals and dreams. On the other hand, unsuccessful people often give excuses as to why they can’t achieve their goals.

“Commitment is the enemy of resistance, for it is the serious promise to press on, to get up, no matter how many times you are knocked down” – Dave McNally

6. Starting to search for something new

Do you feel like your plans are not working and you need to search for something new? Well, if this is what is happening, it just means that you have lost confidence with your current goal.

You no longer feel like you can achieve the goals you set, and that is why you need to search for a new opportunity. It is intimidating, but if you keep jumping ships and switching goals, you will never accomplish any.

Instead, choose to do whatever it takes to achieve your goals. Ask around, check on Google, read books, search for solutions. Whatever you do, don’t give up. When there is a will, there is a way.

7. You turn your goals into unpleasant tasks

When your goals become unpleasant tasks to do, you know that it is a clear sign that you are about to give up on them.

Goals are supposed to motivate and drive people, not make people feel unpleasant to take action. If you are feeling boring, mundane and even pain when you think about your goals, you know something is not right.

Revisit your purpose. Why do you want to achieve your goals in the first place? Do your reasons still support you and give you the meaning to go forward?

Are these 7 warning signs describing you and your goals? Share your thoughts in the comment section below.

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