Why does SMASHING goals feel underwhelming?

The notion that fulfilling our goals equals everlasting happiness is something that we’ve all come to understand is a myth. It’s called Arrival Fallacy, and by definition, this is the term given to the illusion that hitting a goal means we will finally reach peak happiness. It’s common for people to reach a goal and feel underwhelmed. Like when you’ve been saving up for months for a new pair of Jordans or Louboutins, only to realise when you’re walking around with blisters that they weren’t all they were cracked up to be, and you’re back at square one, with no money and a drawer full of Compeed. However, I do think there are tons of benefits to setting and achieving goals, as I write about in my book, SMASH IT! The Art of Getting What YOU Want. 

Often we can feel directionless in our lives, not knowing what our true purpose is, leaving us feeling flat and underwhelmed. The benefit of setting goals is to help you to stay on track and provide you with a purpose. The key thing I think to remember to avoid Arrival Fallacy upon achieving these goals is that the purpose of it isn’t to provide you with everlasting happiness, it’s something else. So how do you identify that purpose, or as I call it ‘your why’?

I want to tell you a wee story. Every business year I start by setting a big goal that I want to achieve. 2015 was the year of the Jaguar. I wanted to earn enough money to buy myself a new flash car that I could drive around in. Why? Because the influencers in my industry had been posting pictures of their flash new motors and everyone thought it was great. I wanted to be seen as an influencer, therefore I would need a new car to boast about on social media. By the end of the year, I achieved my goal and managed to bag myself a brand new white Jaguar XF. I was going to look the part when I rolled up at my next meeting or social event, hell I would look great at the supermarket in this car! Years later and I still hate driving my car as much as the day I brought it. I never thought about what it would actually be like to drive, I was just thinking about how sleek and stylish it looked. Parking is an absolute nightmare, it has a big nose and a huge backside (just like me!) and even with sensors, it is never easy to park. Not only that, but it turns out I don’t actually care what people think of my car. Driving around in it makes me feel no different than if I were driving around in my old Kia. 

You see, if I had set my sights on this car because it was practical and I wanted a bigger car to cart my kids to hockey practice and still manage to fit the dog in too, I don’t think I would have felt nearly as underwhelmed. It all comes back to perception and knowing your 'why', and this is something I go into in a lot more detail in my book SMASH IT! The Art of Getting What YOU Want, available now in-store and online.