Sometimes even with the best of plans the goals we set out, for one reason or another which are usually beyond our control, cannot be met, reasons we fall short of reaching the goals we set out for ourselves can vary widely and are sometimes as a result of events beyond our control, while with some we just fail.

The most important thing to remember in these situations is not to get too discouraged when this happens, while we have the best intentions sometimes it happens. There are a number of approaches you can take in these situations to get you back on track and to relieve your disappointment in yourself.

Dealing with discouragement

When dealing with discouragement the first thing you should ask yourself is, was the goal realistic in the first place? If you think about it sometimes we set goals which we have the best intentions of achieving, but really aren’t that realistic. If the answer is no, then simply pay more attention to what you can actually achieve and set a new goal.

If the goal was realistic then you need to access where you went wrong, list the reasons which stopped you from achieving your goal and determine what if anything you could have done about it and what you can do in the future should the situation arise again. Once you have done this you can then reassign the goals you failed and just accept it and put it out of your mind without being too harsh on yourself.

What if I can’t complete the goal?

Sometimes you might not be able to achieve your goals through no reason of your own, when this happens it is important to realize this is not a fault of your own. Factors that can have an effect on whether your goals are achievable could be problems that crop up such as family commitments, illness or a particularly stressful event in your life.

When these are the reasons just look at it as a temporary setback and nothing more, when the problem or conflict in your life has resolved itself then get back on track without worrying about the time lost. Here are a few tips to help you get over a particularly hard time:

* Take comfort from partial accomplishment if your goal was to lose 3 pounds in 2 weeks and you only lost 1 or 2 then give yourself a well-deserved pat on the back for the accomplishment. Although you didn’t achieve what you set out to do you have made a positive difference and this should count for a lot.

* Break larger goals into smaller more manageable ones – if you are going through a particularly stressful time in your life then take a look at your goals and if possible break them down into smaller more manageable ones for the time being.

* Don’t give up, persevere – we have all heard of the saying if at first, you don’t succeed then try and try again, this is true. If you don’t succeed at your first, second or even third attempt then don’t ponder on the fact simply try and keep trying.