Why do most people fail to reach their goals?

Most goals fail because people focus on the goal itself instead of choosing the right actions, taking enough of those actions, and sticking with them long enough.

What matters more than goal setting?

Consistent, high-impact actions matter more than setting goals. Progress comes from the right actions taken often enough over time.

How long should I stick with an action before reassessing?

Most results take longer than expected. Actions should be followed consistently over a realistic timeline before deciding whether to adjust.

Setting & Achieving Goals: Tough Love Edition

Made 2 Move Team
3 days ago
4 min read

About the Author: Hannah Breal, PT, DPT is the co-owner of Made 2 Move Physical Therapy in Charleston and Charlotte. She helps athletes and active adults rebuild strength, mobility, and confidence so they can move pain-free for life.

Made 2 Move Physical Therapy – Charleston | Daniel Island | Mount Pleasant

FIRST OF ALL. HAPPY FREAKING NEW YEAR!!!! IT'S 2026, WHAT???

Secondly.

working

I proooomise I’m not here to make you feel bad.

I am here to keep it real and tell you the exact thing I usually need to hear myself.

So let's get this part out of the way:

This is not a blog about how to set goals.

You can simply Google that (or hello, chat gpt!!)

Goal setting itself - writing a goal down - is the easy part.

This is about what happens after you set the goal: because that's what determines if you actually meet the goal.

People spend way too much time thinking about the goal and not nearly enough time deciding what actions will move them toward it.

Writing your goals in pretty colors and taping them on a mirror? Totally cute.

But looking at a sticky note every day does nothing unless you take action.

Progress comes from the actions we take - the right actions, taken often enough, for long enough.

And when you don’t meet a goal (which we’ve allllll been there), it almost always comes down to one of three reasons:

1. You didn’t take the right actions.

2. You didn’t take enough of the right actions.

3. You didn’t take enough of the right actions for long enough to see a result.

SO if you worked hard toward a goal in 2025 and you didn't see any progress, it means:

The action you took actually doesn't have an effect on the result you want
It has very little effect
Or the result you want simply takes longer than you think.

For example: you have $3 and your goal is to invest money in 5 options and get the highest return…

Option 1: 10% return

Option 2: 20% return

Option 3: 50% return

Option 4: 70% return

Option 5: 100% return

If you had to pick three, you’d choose 3, 4, 5: they have the highest impact.

If you could pick only one, you’d dump all $3 into Option 5 without hesitation.

$6. CHA-CHING. You're rich!!

Easy, right??

HA. In real life (fitness, business, relationships) the “options” we have aren’t labeled with clear return percentages.

We have to predict what we think will give us the highest return, test it, and adjust based on feedback.

Here’s what I do:

1. I make a “could do” vs. “should do” list

I write down everything I could do to move towards my goal. Then I choose 1-3 actions that have the biggest impact.

*be careful not to choose the easiest or sexiest actions here. Choose the ones that will actually move the needle!*

2. I decide how to measure success and over what timeline.

People quit way too early because they judge the results way too fast.

Want to build muscle? Three weeks of lifting weights just ain’t gonna do it for ya.

Basically anything we want in life comes from consistent actions taken for long periods of time.

I know. BOOOORING.

3. I decide how often to take this action:

How often?

How much?

What’s the minimum amount of action I can commit to no matter what?

4. Look back and reflect objectively (boss level hard!)

If I didn’t make progress, one of three things was true:

I chose the wrong actions

I didn’t take enough of those actions, or

I didn’t take those actions consistently for a long enough period of time. Ya gotta let it COOK people.

And that, my friends, isn’t failure. It’s FEEDBACK.

Failure would be to look at that feedback and change nothing.

That’s just going to get you the same frustrating result.

Feedback tells us we have to change something.

What to Focus on in 2026:

Spend WAY more time thinking about:

What actions will actually move the needle

How often you need to take them

How long you’ll stick with them before re-assessing.

It’s not about setting better goals this year. https://www.made2movept.com/physical-therapy

Happy 2026 friends! Wishing you the happiest and healthiest new year.

If You’re in Charleston, Daniel Island, Charlotte, or Mount Pleasant…

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Written by Hannah Breal, PT, DPT, Co-Owner of Made 2 Move Physical Therapy, helping Charleston and Charlotte move pain-free for life.