On the Fundamental Factors That Modulate Goal Attainment

A goal, defined as a desired result or state that requires antecedent tasks and effort without which it is unlikely to be realized, is critical to human thriving. Goals are critical to humans because they foster success by increasing persistence, directing attention, mobilizing effort, and motivating strategy development. Many people set goals for themselves, while some are given goals to achieve a desired outcome. Unfortunately, many goals are unattained, and many of these unattained goals harm both individual, group, and societal development. The need, therefore, to better understand the reasons for goal failure and ways to increase the chances of goal attainment cannot be overstated. In this paper, the critical synergistic roles of goal participants and environmental traits, knowledge and insight gathering, preparation, goal definition, strategy, tactics, and execution in goal attainment are elucidated. The roles of interest, privileges, and chance are also discussed.