Five Steps to Success
These days, goal setting is everywhere. Whether it be in our career, our health or our lives in general, striving for that next milestone is a concept so engrained in our behaviour we have been aiming for that next leap since infancy. However, despite the normalcy of goals, we are rarely taught the science behind how to do this and accomplish them. So, I’ve complied my top 5 strategies in how to become a goal achiever.
1 | Know your pain threshold
Hands up if you have attended a seminar, workshop or meeting where an overly-enthusiastic individual stands by a whiteboard and asks you, “what does success look like to you?”, and more specifically, “what do you want to achieve?” Most of us can list what this is - what we would ideally like to achieve but in my opinion, we’re being asked the wrong question. Author Mark Manson instead moves the question to a better trajectory, “What kind of pain do I want?”.
I know it sounds unusual but what Manson has tapped into is the realization that setting a goal is easy. It’s easy to state that you want to write a best-selling novel, launch a successful business or win a goal medal but how many of us are prepared to write from 9-5 every day, work super hard on a business plan or train like an Olympian?
The real challenge with goal setting is not about the goal itself, it is determining what sacrifices you are prepared to live with in order to achieve your goal. Can you wade through the boring, ugly and time-consuming parts of achieving your goal before you access the winnings?
Your first take-away point, thanks to James Clear is, “goal setting is not only about choosing the rewards you want to enjoy, but also the costs you are willing to pay”.
2 | Motivation is key
Another key strategy in successful goal setting is setting goals that motivate you. Not only do you want to choose goals that are important to you, you want to pick goals that link to what is meaningful to you. It can help to write down why this goal is important and valuable or even go one step further and ask yourself, “What would I tell someone else to convince them that the goal is worthwhile?”. Your goals will take commitment so motivation is key here and if it aligns with your values and priorities in life, you will be more willing to endure the pain to achieve them.
3 | Rudders + Oars
A handy little metaphor to help clarify the difference between systems and goals is the one about rudders and oars.
Imagine a small little rowing boat. Think of your goals as the rudder on the boat - they determine the direction of where you go. If you commit to one goal, then the rudder stays in that position and you continue moving forward. However, if you are keeping changing goals, your rudder will move all over the place and before you know it, you’ll be rowing around in circles. Your first insight here is to remember to streamline your goals; be selective. You need to ruthlessly eliminate your goals so you can focus on one. If you have too many, you’ll find yourself going in all different directions and success will be harder to achieve.
Let’s not forget the oars, though. If the rudder is your goal, then the oars are how you achieve it; your process. The rudder will determine direction, but it is the oars that will determine your progress.
Here are a few examples:
If you’re a writer, your goal (rudder) is to write a novel. Your system (oars) is the writing schedule that you follow each week.
If you’re a runner, your goal is to run a marathon. Your system is your training schedule for the month.
Your takeaway here is to remember that goals will determine your direction, but systems will determine your progress. Think of it this way, you’ll never get anywhere by just holding the rudder, you’re going to have to row!
4 | Take note of your environment
Effective and successful goal setting involves awareness of the system that surrounds you. There are all kinds of hidden obstacles at play that can make our goals harder to achieve. An important part of the process is ensuring that your environment aligns with your ambitions if you are aiming for long term success.
Let me explain. Scientists refer to this concept as “choice architecture”. This is where our environmental defaults can have an impact on our decision making. For example, if you keep chocolate in your kitchen, then eating chocolate consistently is more likely to be the default decision. I think we can all relate to that one!! Author James Clear recommends a few simple things you can try to help design a better default decision making process:
Simplicity - it is more difficult to eat a healthy diet when your fridge is filled with junk food. It is more challenging to focus on reading an article when you have 10 tabs open in your browser. When in doubt, eliminate options.
Visual Cues - try the ‘Seinfeld Strategy’: Brad Isaac was a young comedian who was lucky enough to be performing in the same club as Jerry Seinfeld and he asked him for some tips, here is what he said … “the way to be a better comic is to create better jokes and the way to create better jokes is to write every day. He told me to get a big wall calendar that has a whole year on one page and hang it on a prominent wall. The next step was to get a big red magic marker. He said for each day that I do my task of writing, I get to put a big red X over that day. After a few days there’ll be a chain. Just keep at it and the chain will become longer every day. You’ll like seeing that chain, especially when you get a few weeks under your belt. Your only job is not to break the chain”.
Opt-Out vs Opt-In - a famous international organ donation study discovered that multiple European countries had major increases in their organ donation rates because they required citizens to opt-out of donating rather than opt-in! You can apply this strategy to your life. For example, you could schedule your gym classes for the week whilst you’re feeling motivated and then when the class comes around, you have to justify opting out rather than finding the motivation to opt-in!
5 | Be SMART
Most of us have heard of SMART goals, but the letter I want you to really focus on is ‘M’. Ensure that your goals are measurable. This will give you a clear insight into whether or not you are making progress. The things we measure are the things we improve! For example, when I measured how many sit-ups I did, I got stronger.
Let’s not ignore the other letters though, they are just as important! To take it one step further, put them in writing, create an action plan with individual steps and stick to it!
Specific - ensure your goals are clear and well defined.
Measurable - be precise. Without a way to measure your goals, you can’t celebrate your successes!
Attainable - ensure your goals are realistic yet challenging.
Relevant - your goals should be relevant to the direction you want your life/career to take.
Time-Bound - creating a deadline is key! Again, this gives you another opportunity to celebrate success and will help you to focus as you will have a greater sense of urgency.
With 2020 now in full-swing, I encourage you to make time to implement these five strategies. I can’t wait to hear about your goals and your wins!
