Why We Don’t Reach Our Goals. How to Fix Them God’s Way
Let’s be honest, we’ve all been there.
Some of us more than others (raises hand), but it’s okay because if I can escape this cycle, so can you.
You set a goal, write it in your planner, and maybe even announce it out loud this time.
And yet, months later, you realize. You didn’t follow through.
You’re thinking, what’s wrong with me?
You’re not unmotivated. You’re not lazy. You’re not even unfocused.
You’re just misaligned.
Because when your goals are built on grind instead of grace, they’ll always leave you empty.
Today, I want to unpack five hidden reasons why, year after year, I was repeating the same goals without any progress, and how to fix them God’s way. These aren’t just productivity principles; they’re stewardship lessons designed to help you walk in purpose without burnout or guilt.
1.Enjoyment — You’re Not Meant to Grind
You weren’t created to chase success; you were created to steward joy.
So many of us lose momentum because we attach pain to our progress. We treat discipline like punishment instead of partnership. This is why I chose the word devotion over discipline.
But true consistency isn’t born out of pressure — it’s born out of joy, devotion, and desire for long-lasting transformation.
Psalm 16:11 says,
“In Your presence is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.”
When you invite God into your goals, joy becomes your fuel.
You start to realize that productivity isn’t about doing more; it’s about becoming more aligned with His presence.
If you’ve lost your spark for the things you used to love, it’s not because you’re off track.
It’s a sign to return to your source.
Joy is not fleeting; it is rooted in Christ, not your circumstance, so where there is resistance, there is also an opportunity to draw near to God.
Galatians 5:22 says,
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, and faithfulness.”
I learned how to achieve my goals when I started chasing the joy of the Lord.
2.Systems — A Goal Without a System Is Just Pressure
James Clear said in Atomic Habits, You don’t rise to the level of your goals, you fall to the level of your systems.
Many Christian women pray for divine strategy but resist divine structure.
And the truth is, structure is what sustains success.
When you don’t know what to do next, you falter, and each day your commitment to your goals wanes.
Even God works in systems day and night, seed and harvest, seasons and cycles.
When we go back to the story of the great flood, it was a system that helped Noah build the ark, load the animals, send a dove to look for dry land, and settle on land.
Without a system, your goal becomes a weight instead of a witness.
Start simple.
Inside the Steward Well Life Community, over 8 weeks, we help you do this in 4 structured phases:
Foundation: Align with God
Design: Define your Calling
Build: Create your System
Steward: Live with Consistency
Systems aren’t about control; they’re about clarity. They give your obedience a place to land.
And that’s exactly why I created the S.T.E.W.A.R.D. Productivity System — to help you build systems that align your structure with your spirit. (Access in the Steward Well Life Community)
3.Outcome — Stop Chasing Results; Pursue Obedience
One of the biggest reasons I didn’t reach my goals is that I confused results with reward.
But in the Kingdom, obedience is the outcome.
When you start seeing your goals as assignments instead of achievements, everything changes.
You stop striving for visibility and start focusing on faithfulness.
In the Steward Well Life Community, we walk you through creating legacy goals so you're not focused on random goals, but goals that bind and connect how you want to manage the life God has entrusted to you.
Success in God’s eyes isn’t measured by what’s visible; it’s measured by what’s obedient.
That means sometimes you’ll do the work and won’t see the fruit immediately, and that’s okay.
Because God isn’t delaying your progress; He’s developing your character.
Galatians 6:9 reminds us,
“And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.”
Paul was telling persecuted Christians not to be tempted to revert to their old ways because the immediate results of a life transformed by faith are not yet visible.
It is the same true for us; we cannot allow old habits, behaviors, and patterns to sway our commitment to our walk with God.
Don’t let your due season be delayed by doubt. Find your strength and reliance on the Holy Spirit.
4.Accountability — You Don’t Need Control; You Need Community
Many of us think we need to control more when really, we need to connect more.
Isolation breeds inconsistency.
Accountability breeds alignment.
God designed growth to happen in community. That’s why He sent the disciples two by two.
You were never meant to carry your calling alone.
When you surround yourself with women who remind you of your assignment, you stop second-guessing yourself.
Accountability doesn’t just hold you responsible; it holds you together.
On those days when you feel like the world is fighting against you, community is a part of your spiritual warfare arsenal. Because the enemy wants you to give up. He wants you to think that you’re alone. He wants you to believe that you can wait another year to build in obedience to God.
But true transformation is built in community, not isolation.
So if you’ve been trying to stay consistent in secret, maybe it’s time to let someone walk with you in the open.
5.Expectations — God’s Timing Is Perfect, Even When Your Plan Isn’t
Sometimes we give up on goals that were actually God’s idea, just not His timing.
You can be called and still need to wait.
You can be anointed and still need to mature.
I learned this lesson the hard way because when God downloads something into your Spirit, it doesn’t mean you’re supposed to ignore the dysfunction in the other areas of your life for a quick fix in a different area.
I genuinely believe that’s why we don’t steward life well, because God never intended our goals and dreams to be scattered and disconnected. His desire was and has always been for us to be whole in Him, and that takes time.
God is strategic in His plans and His timing.
We don’t fail because we dream too big, we fail because we expect too fast.
When your expectations are rooted in timelines instead of trust, disappointment becomes inevitable.
But when you trust God’s pace, peace replaces pressure. And you begin to align your entire life with his timing and plans.
He’s not denying your goal. He’s preparing you to sustain it. So you can stay in thriving mode instead of dipping in and out of survival mode.
Ecclesiastes 3:11 says,
“He has made everything beautiful in its time.”
Your goals will bloom the moment your roots are deep enough to hold them.
You don’t reach your goals by trying harder — you reach them by stewarding differently.
Enjoy what you’re building.
Create systems that sustain you.
Obey before you understand.
Let community strengthen your commitment.
And trust that God’s timeline is not a delay, it’s divine design.
Your progress doesn’t have to be perfect to be purposeful.
When you let grace lead, results follow.
FAQ
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A: Many women assume it’s a motivation issue, but it’s usually a misalignment issue. When your goals aren’t anchored in God’s presence and guided by clear systems, they create pressure instead of peace
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A: Consistency grows from enjoyment and structure, not striving. When your goals align with your God-given rhythms and you include rest, prayer, and purpose in your plan sustainability becomes natural.
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A: It means you stop measuring success by results and start measuring it by faithfulness. God isn’t asking for perfection; He’s asking for partnership. Obedience always brings fruit even if it’s not instant.
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A: You were never designed to steward purpose alone. Accountability brings clarity, courage, and community. It helps you walk out what God has called you to do even when it’s uncomfortable.
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When you’re operating in God’s pace, you’ll feel peace instead of panic. Trust His timing even when your plan feels delayed because He’s not just preparing the opportunity; He’s preparing you to sustain it.
Written by Telanna Jeffers, founder of Purpose Minded Woman and the Steward Well Life Community, based in the United States. Telanna equips high-capacity, faith-driven women to manage their calling with grace-based productivity. Through her signature Stewardship Path and Cycle of Transformation Framework, where inner transformation meets outer stewardship, she helps Christian women align their hearts and habits to live a life of purpose, peace, and partnership with God.
