Here's why setting goals works...

[Even Steven]

Successful people say it over and over again. You have to have goals. Long term, medium term, short term, daily...they are essential for success.

But you may not understand exactly why they work.

See, it's not just that your mind gets excited about getting more stuff when you set a goal. It's that your mind is afraid NOT to get it.

Think about that for a second.

That may seem like a subtle distinction, but it's a critical one, and here's the reason: the pain of losing something is STRONGER than the pleasure of getting something of equal value.

That's not just a statement, it's a well researched psychological fact.

Loss-aversion is hard-wired into your brain. Making progress feels good, but moving backward hurts far more.

Okay, that's fine, but how does that relate to setting goals?

Here's the real key in all this: when you set a goal, your mind accepts that as the new norm. The expectation is set. Your reference point has moved. And anything less than that will feel like a loss whether you want it to or not. It's a function of your subconscious mind.

Here's a quote from Daniel Kahneman (nobel prize winning psychologist who specialized in judgement, decision making, and behavioral economics):

we are driven more strongly to avoid losses than to achieve gains...and not achieving a goal is a loss

That's why goals are effective and essential for making progress.

They move the bar. Anything less feels like a loss, and your mind will fight hard to avoid a loss.

If you haven't taken the time to spell out your goals, to design your life as best you can, do it, and do it today.

If you need some direction on setting goals, try this. (video should start at 43 minutes, 38 seconds).

 

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[Tyler Ellison]

While I agree with what you're saying, I'd like to ask you this:

How do you deal with failure to achieve a goal?

I think that's difficult, and is usually that the goal wasn't set correctly to begin with - but I'd like to hear from the forum how you deal with failure.

 

[Tiago]

I prefer systems.

Goals can sometimes look frightening, and make you paralyzed as to what action you should take to get there.

Systems on the other hand are much simpler to follow through and most important, keep momentum. I'd rather have 100 days of consistent work towards a goal than sprints and bursts of intense work that don't last.

They can work together though. Set yourself a goal and break it down into parts. "What do I need to do to achieve that goal?". And them implement your system.

The most important part by far is being consistent.

 

[Jesse Dallenbach]

I prefer systems.

Goals can sometimes look frightening, and make you paralyzed as to what action you should take to get there.

Systems on the other hand are much simpler to follow through and most important, keep momentum. I'd rather have 100 days of consistent work towards a goal than sprints and bursts of intense work that don't last.

They can work together though. Set yourself a goal and break it down into parts. "What do I need to do to achieve that goal?". And them implement your system.

The most important part by far is being consistent.

I totally agree with this statement being consistent is the essential key with goal achievement. You have to keep working, striving and tweaking things. Like a blade of grass eventually you will break through the surface and "sprout".

My Man Elliot Hulse has some good insight on this:

- Jesse

 

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[Even Steven]

I prefer systems.

Goals can sometimes look frightening, and make you paralyzed as to what action you should take to get there.

Systems on the other hand are much simpler to follow through and most important, keep momentum. I'd rather have 100 days of consistent work towards a goal than sprints and bursts of intense work that don't last.

They can work together though. Set yourself a goal and break it down into parts. "What do I need to do to achieve that goal?". And them implement your system.

The most important part by far is being consistent.

@Tiago, agreed 100% about systems over goals. There was a discussion about that in this thread. That was actually a bit of a breakthrough for me as far as developing and keeping motivation because all I had were long-term goals, and the weight of them was crushing and paralyzing me.

So, here's how it's going for me at the moment:
I worked out my long term goals (1, 3, 5, and 10 years out). These just help me figure out what I want my life to look like in the future. They provide the destination. I've been re-reading them at the beginning of each week just to remind myself of them and keep my heading.

But I try to be realistic. Things probably won't work out exactly as my goals are planned, but it gives me a course and heading to guide my daily processes.

On a day-to-day basis, though, it's all about the systems, like you said.

But then those systems, at least for me, are just daily goals. I try to, at the beginning of each day (or the night before) plan out the day and set time goals for the things I need to work on.

I keep my mind focused on today's mini goals and don't worry so much about where I actually end in the future (so long as I'm moving in the right direction).

Thanks for pointing that out.