Set Goals & Achieve Them

"When we have discovered a continent, or crossed a chain of mountains, it is only to find another ocean or another plain upon the further side" Robert Louis Stevenson

Introduction

We set goals, big and small.

Everyday. Every minute.

We achieve a lot of them.

Yet we often struggle.

Sometimes, we don't start.

Sometimes, we start and fade away.

Sometimes, we start and then procrastinate. We get distracted. We find excuses. We feel blocked, confused and frustrated. We get stressed. We beat ourselves up.

Yes, there are better ways. It all starts and finishes with our selves. In our minds, our emotions and our actions. In this article, we look at the importance of purpose, the art of observation and examination, and the literally thousands of small decisions that we make which make for better progress in what we think, emote and act.

Purpose

Purpose is a fundamental aspect of our lives that gives us direction, motivation, and a sense of fulfilment. Having a clear sense of purpose provides meaning to our actions and helps us stay focused and committed to our goals.

When we have a strong sense of purpose, we are more likely to overcome obstacles and stay resilient in the face of challenges. It serves as a guiding force that helps us prioritise our actions and make decisions aligned with our values and long-term vision.

Without a clear purpose, it's easy to get lost or feel stuck. We may find ourselves going through the motions without a sense of direction, leading to frustration and a lack of progress. Therefore, understanding our purpose and continuously reminding ourselves of it is crucial for maintaining motivation and moving forward.

To discover our purpose, it's important to reflect on our values, passions, and strengths. What truly matters to us? What activities bring us joy and fulfilment? What skills and talents do we possess? By answering these questions and exploring different areas of interest, we can gain clarity on what gives our lives meaning and purpose.

Observation and examination also play significant roles in fulfilling our purpose. Taking the time to observe ourselves, our thoughts, emotions, and behaviours allows us to gain self-awareness. By examining our actions and their consequences, we can identify patterns, habits, and areas for improvement.

Through observation and examination, we become more conscious of our decision-making processes and the small choices we make every day. These seemingly insignificant decisions, when made intentionally and in alignment with our purpose, can lead to significant progress over time. It's about being mindful of how our actions contribute to our overall goals and making conscious choices that support our purpose.

Furthermore, purpose is not a static concept. It can evolve and change as we grow and gain new experiences. It's important to regularly reassess our purpose and make adjustments accordingly. This flexibility allows us to adapt to new circumstances and align our actions with our evolving sense of meaning.

Ultimately, it's through the alignment of our thoughts, emotions, and actions that we can achieve greater fulfilment and success in our lives.

Understanding Roadblocks in Achieving Goals

Progress towards our objectives, be they personal or business-related, can often feel like navigating a labyrinth. Many individuals and organizations find themselves gridlocked, faltering in their pursuit of meaningful goals. The reasons for these obstacles are multifaceted, varying across individuals and organisations.

Personal Goals

1. Unclear Vision: People often embark on a journey without a clear destination in mind. If a goal isn't SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound), confusion and lack of direction become major hindrances.
2. Fear: Fear is a potent inhibitor. Fear of failure can cause paralysis, while fear of success can lead to self-sabotage due to concerns about coping with the change that success may bring.
3. Overwhelming Ambition: When a goal seems colossal or intricate, it can trigger a sense of overwhelm. This can lead to procrastination, as the goal appears insurmountable.
4. Insufficient Motivation: If a goal is not intrinsically exciting or meaningful, maintaining consistent effort becomes a challenge, particularly when hurdles appear.
5. Perfectionism: Many individuals are stuck in the pursuit of absolute flawlessness, which often breeds procrastination and stalls progress.

Business Goals

1. Lack of Strategic Clarity: Without a lucid, detailed strategic plan, organizations often stumble. Lack of clarity about the end-goal, measurement metrics, and the path to get there often leads to misdirected efforts.
2. Resource Constraints: Businesses may falter if they perceive a lack of necessary resources - human, financial, technological, or time.
3. Culture of Fear: An organisational culture that penalises failure can stifle innovation and risk-taking, both crucial for achieving ambitious goals.
4. Organisational Resistance: Resistance to change, especially in established businesses, can hinder the progress towards new objectives.
5. Lack of Employee Engagement: If employees do not feel connected to the organisation's vision, their motivation and productivity often wane.

Strategies to Overcome Roadblocks

In order to surmount these obstacles, we can take inspiration from two powerful Japanese concepts: Ikigai and Kaizen.

Ikigai: Finding Your Purpose

Ikigai is a Japanese philosophy that combines the words "iki" (life) and "gai" (value or worth). It is about finding joy, fulfilment, and balance in the daily routine of life. In his book "How to Set Goals," Anthony Raymond explains that identifying one's Ikigai helps to articulate and align personal and professional goals with inner desires and passions. This imbues the goals with deep, intrinsic motivation, providing the fuel to persist even in the face of challenges.

For businesses, aligning organisational goals with the collective Ikigai of a firm's team members can enhance employee engagement, motivation, and productivity.

Kaizen: Continuous Improvement

Kaizen, meaning "change for better," emphasizes continuous, incremental improvement. As explained in Adam Alter's book, "Anatomy of a Breakthrough," small, consistent changes often lead to major breakthroughs. In the context of goal achievement, Kaizen encourages breaking down colossal goals into bite sized manageable tasks. By making small, consistent progress, we can avoid being overwhelmed and gradually move towards our objectives.

Case Studies

• Personal: Consider the story of Thomas Edison. His pursuit of inventing the light bulb was rooted in his Ikigai - a passion for invention and contribution to human progress. Despite numerous failures, he persisted, embodying the Kaizen spirit, learning, and refining his process until he eventually succeeded.
• Business: Toyota's success story is a testament to the power of Ikigai and Kaizen. Their organizational goal of producing high-quality vehicles is aligned with their employees' sense of purpose and societal contribution. By using the Kaizen approach, they continually improve their production process, leading to exceptional quality control and global success.

Achieving goals, whether personal or business-related, involves understanding and confronting the roadblocks we may encounter. By finding our Ikigai and adopting a Kaizen approach, we can inject purpose into our goals and make consistent progress, ultimately reaching our objectives and fulfilling our potential.

Breakthrough Tips

Despite clarity of purpose and the best of intentions, it is inevitable that we will get stuck at some stage. Following are tips for the journey to fulfilment.

1. Life is a series of goals. Best to align them to your ever evolving senses of purpose.
2. Learn everyday from books, listening to others, observing and spending time absorbing knowledge from the road. The banking of knowledge leads to serendipity. You will have your McGyver moments of invention.
3. Physical exercise, rest and mental exercise (meditation) and Tai Chi will give you stamina for the ongoing journey.
4. Be conscious and in the moment. Use your 5 plus senses. When you are present, you are much more powerful.
5. Creativity is about innovation. Look at the present reality from different perspectives. A colleague tells me that he does not like much the Piazzola version of Vivaldi's Four Seasons music. Life is not binary either/or. Rather, work on using a and b thinking and look for the merits in both.
6. When looking to solve a puzzle or dilemma, see if you can simplify the picture in front of you. What are you working to achieve? Are there too many pieces in the jigsaw or Lego set of a life or business issue? Are there too many cooks?
7. Don't freeze or do nothing. Start! You will be surprised at how often activity will shake free your creativity, motivation and perspectives. Movement often gives achievement, no matter how small. At worst, you will have discovered an option which does not work or is not useful.
8. Persistence and time can bring optimal solutions. Practice and a version of the 10,000 hours rule kicks in whereby your expertise kicks in and desired results are achieved (M.Gladwell).
9. The wisdom of (appropriate) crowds provides additional insights and perspectives to break through your mental barriers and give you validation and confidence to continue your journey. Diversity of inputs creates better knowledge bases for action.
10. Stand on the shoulders of giants. "There is nothing new under the sun". Knowledge and innovation generally build on those who have walked the same road. A good example is Google who were historically the 22nd version of search engines. They succeeded by being better than their predecessors in the science of internet search.
11. Break your challenge down to bite sized chunks. Running a marathon requires a long program of training over shorter distances and building up to the full distance.
12. It's ok to "fail". It is a learning process. Accept where you are and focus on the next steps.
13. Desensitise your fears by gradual immersion. A great example is public speaking. Your audience want you to succeed. Enrol in the learning and practise until the fear is diluted.
14. Explore the world at large. More exploration develops curiosity and enhances knowledge and problem solving.
15. Give yourself rewards at milestones in your journey and at random times.

Summary

“Life is what happens?when you're busy making other plans.” – John Lennon

We have 4,000 or so weeks on this planet. Too often, we miss or forgo the opportunities to optimise our lives. Instead, we are either in a daze of busyness and miss out.

In Australia, the new financial year (starting July) is here. It is a timely opportunity to re-examine where we are, think about where we may like to go and set goals.

Setting goals must be based on our individual senses of purposes. This provides a solid base to go forward with action. Like any road - physical or mental, there are hurdles and roadblocks. Knowing the traps and the antidotes are key to achieving progress in our milestones.

Happy and safe journeys!

Frank Choy

3 July 2023