Goal Setting Series 2: Myths of Achieving Goals

If you’ve ever set a goal with the best intentions, only to watch it fall apart a few weeks later, this episode will feel like someone finally turned the lights on. Today, we’re digging into the hidden myths that quietly sabotage midlife women — myths that make you think you’re the problem when, in reality, your model was flawed from the start.In Part 2 of the Goal Setting Series, Elizabeth breaks down why health and habit goals collapse even when you’re committed, smart, disciplined, and doing “all the right things.” These myths show up as believable reasons, familiar patterns, and well-worn stories about motivation, consistency, timing, and willpower — and they are the reason women in midlife struggle to make health changes stick.The episode doesn’t shame you for these patterns — it explains them. More importantly, it shows you why the strategies you’ve been told to use were never built for the real demands of midlife: invisible labor, caregiving, emotional load, hormonal shifts, unpredictable schedules, and the cultural pressure to be “the capable one.” If you’ve been blaming yourself for years of stalled or abandoned goals, this episode offers a different truth — one rooted in compassion, clarity, and evidence.By the end, you’ll understand why your past efforts didn’t work, why you’re not broken, and what actually needs to change in your approach so your health goals finally become doable inside your real, lived life.The Biggest Problem Midlife Women Face Regarding Goal Setting MythsThe biggest challenge midlife women face is that most traditional goal-setting frameworks were never designed for their lives. The popular advice around motivation, discipline, willpower, and “just being consistent” is built on the assumption that you have abundant time, predictable schedules, steady energy, and minimal emotional labor. For women in midlife, none of that is true. You’re managing aging parents, supporting adult children, handling the household mental load, navigating hormonal fluctuations, and serving as the default problem-solver for everyone around you. When goal-setting advice ignores these realities, your health goals become impossible to maintain.Another major problem is the deeply ingrained cultural myths that dictate how women think goals should work: motivation should last, consistency must look perfect, life will calm down soon, and willpower is a sign of character. These myths create a distorted view of why you struggle. They make you believe you don’t want it badly enough or that you’re somehow failing at goals other women seem to manage. But the truth is simpler: your life has more moving parts, and your brain and nervous system are coping with a heavier load. When your strategies don’t match your reality, your goals collapse — and you end up blaming yourself instead of the system.WHAT YOU’LL LEARNWhy motivation drops off even when you genuinely want the goal — and what that means for your follow-throughHow perfectionism masquerades as “consistency” and delays progress for months or yearsWhy waiting for the “right time” is one of the biggest forms of self-sabotage for midlife womenRESOURCESLife Proof Your Health PlaybookGoal Setting Series 1: Setting Realistic GoalsGoal Setting Series 2: Myths of Achieving GoalsGoal Setting Series 3: Planning for ObstaclesGoal Setting Series 4: Maintaining MotivationHey! I love hearing from you. Send me a text. Let me know what resonated with you. I submitted a talk for SXSW 2027: Biohacking Is Just Dieting in a Lab Coat. Community voting runs through August 23rd, and it's part of what determines who gets on stage in Austin next March. If this resonates, I'd love your vote: CLICK HERE. Free account required, takes about a minute. If you’re a woman in midlife who wants better health without obsessing over weight, you’re in the right place. I’m Elizabeth Sherman, a life and health coach and host of the Total Health in Midlife Podcast.After coaching hundreds of women, I know the real problem usually isn’t “not enough information” – it’s too much of it, and not knowing where to start. With close to 300 episodes, this show can feel that way too.To make it easy, I created a free Listener’s Roadmap that helps you figure out which episodes are right for you right now. Tell me what you’re struggling with – low energy, emotional eating, stress, sleep, exercise, or all of the above – and I’ll point you to a curated path of episodes and resources to get you moving.Download your free roadmap at https://elizabethsherman.com/roadmap.