4 Practices for Goal Setting
What you get by achieving your goals is not as important as what you become by achieving your goals. – Henry David Thoreau
Setting a goal is an American New Year’s tradition. With each passing year, we retrospectively judge our previous actions and seek to create new habits, skills, and outcomes. While 2020 did not go the way anyone planned, and there is still uncertainty going into 2021, goal setting helps maintain productivity and forward momentum.
But, what is it about goal setting that is so important?
Psychologists have discovered that setting a goal induces the same chemical reaction in our brain that achieving a goal does. This is why we often feel most motivated to achieve a goal during the beginning of the goal-setting process.
Essentially, our brain cannot distinguish who we are and who we want to become. A goal can be a self-realization of our true selves, the person we want to become. Psychologists have called this self-realization “the neurology of ownership.”
By setting goals, we take ownership of our lives and our desired outcomes. It is not uncommon for many to let go of their yearly goals one or two or even three months into a new year. As our brain’s chemical reaction slows down, so too does our motivation; that is why it is crucial to utilize the right goal-setting methods. In my own life, I create my own goals using four specific practices.
- Ensure the goal is SMART – When creating a goal, it is essential to develop specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and timely plans to establish a strategy to reach that goal.
- Write it down – By writing down a goal, we activate a portion of our brain that cognitively processes our desired outcome.
- Visualize the goal – We need to visualize our goal tangibly. Visualization serves as a constant reminder of what it is we wish to accomplish.
- Go public – Tell people what you want to do and how you are going to do it. By doing this, you are holding yourself accountable and allowing others to hold you accountable.
By employing these goal-setting methods, achieving a goal is no longer dependent on motivation. These specific methods help establish a strategy to become the person we wish to become.
While we may find that we sway from our goals from time to time, it is important to note that no matter how far we sway, we can always re-establish our goals and start anew...