If there is a shortcut to success, it's that we can follow in the footsteps of those that have gone before us - standing on the shoulders of giants, not re-inventing wheels, and all that. And across every field of human endeavour - sporting to business, individual to a group, one process above all others is consistently touted as vital to the achievement of success.

Goalsetting. A simple signalling of intent.

This is where I am going.

The real value of such a statement becomes apparent when we realise it then leads to any number of further enquiries: 

• What do I need to get there?

• What do I need to concentrate on?

• What do I need to ignore?

• How will I know if I’m on the right track?

• What am I likely to encounter on the way?

• Will I get any help?

• Why am I going there?

• Do I even want to go there?

Many of you will have heard of the SMART (or many variations thereof)  method for creating goals,- if so, bear with me. If not, stand by:

As an example, let’s imagine we are starting with the oft-expressed:

"I want to lose weight."

Specific - First we must define exactly what we wish to achieve. 

Is losing weight really the goal, or do you want to change your body shape?  Often, profound changes in body shape occur with a minimal difference in scale weight, or sometimes with an increase in scale weight, so let's say that a desire to lose fat is more accurate.

"I want to lose fat."

Measurable - how much fat do you want to lose?

"I want to achieve 20% body fat."

 Now you have a definition of success. 

Attainable - Make an assessment of your current abilities and set yourself a target most likely to induce a state of 'flow' in being neither too hard - discouraging, or too easy - boring. This should not disqualify a more audacious goal, as these can invariably be managed in bite-sized pieces. However, your goal must be realistic with respect to your abilities, resources and more obvious considerations like the observance of natural laws. Like gravity.

As much as the motivational mantra 'nothing is impossible' mantra is trotted out,  a natural law will seal a watertight case in deeming this complete bullshit. Everest, for example, although fast becoming a high altitude Disneyland, will not be summited by flight yet, or any time soon.

[I apologise if I have just trampled all over your dream but am confident in time you will come to see this as a turning point.]

Relevant/ Reason - Your goal must be significant to you. It must resonate enough to get you through the tough days. Be sure that this goal is yours, as we also come saddled with the expectations of others (teachers, parents, society) who are sometimes ignorant of our true desires and ambitions. 

Search for an intrinsic (internal) rather than extrinsic (external) motivation, and be aware that this is potentially a stumbling block for the aesthetic goal - as looking good is frequently founded on the approval of others. Of course, there is nothing wrong with wanting this, but search for your deepest need. 

The most inspiring speech from someone else will never outweigh your own whispered argument in defence of your goal.

"I want to achieve 20% body fat,

• to improve my health

• so I can walk the Inca Trail

• to better play with my kids.

Time-bound -  Without a deadline, your goal will always fall back to 'one day'. One-day, is never. You will also have a reference point from which to work backwards - to know if you are on target from week to week. Finally, be positive in your intent - "I will", and as a first step towards bringing it into reality, write it down:

"To improve my health, I will achieve 20% body fat by December 10th".

You've got a goal. Already this gives you a far greater chance of success, but there is more to consider yet.

It's only natural that you might want to tell people about it. However, at least for the moment, you should keep a lid on it.

As reported to TED by Derek Sivers, those who share their ambitions are less likely to achieve them. In sharing your goals with others, you confuse the support and praise you receive with actual achievement - despite the fact you haven't done anything yet! Keeping your cards close to your chest early on and maybe looking to share it later on in the process will also help you avoid any additional stress of living up to others expectations.

[Note that this is critical - although for a different reason - if you are still intending to fly to the summit of Everest.]

Take Control

Given that you have followed procedure in defining what you want to achieve, then ensure you are not then in a position whereby success or failure is dependent on anyone else. Of course, you might seek the advice of others - as you would use any other resource available to you - but be certain this remains advice, not control or direction.

You are solely responsible and must manage your expectations accordingly.

We can only ever set goals with incomplete information. No matter how detailed we are in planning, however well-intentioned we might be at the outset, our future is only fully realised on arrival. Remove the rose-tinted glasses and acknowledge that there will be hurdles. Try to foresee both potential problems and their solutions. How will you balance other commitments? What will be the sacrifices? Do you really want this?     

Even then, you may still underestimate the skill required to reach your goal, not understand the true nature of obstacles that lie in wait.  

If there is a problem inherent to the whole goal-setting process, it's that, by definition, you label your present as unsatisfactory. 
 
A lack of contentment with our present in favour of striving for some utopian future runs contrary to the mindfulness that we are looking to create. But these are not mutually exclusive. Rather than living unconsciously; an unquestioning auto-pilot ricocheting from billboard to cashpoint, goal setting can serve as a wake-up, a stocktake of where we are, and where we want to be. Pure self- awareness.

But like any wake-up call, although necessary, it is rarely welcome. 

We are not our goals. They do not define us and any failure to reach them, if nothing else, provides us with an opportunity to learn. If you do insist on a critique, your self-worth can be more accurately gauged by your aspiration and ambition, rather than any failure to hit your mark.

But what happens if you do get there? Goal setting also gives us a system by which we can graduate our desires, into principles to live by:

• I eat well

• I exercise every day

• I am always looking to learn

No longer a goal but values that now describe you - a modus operandi. Goalsetting then becomes a continuous, fluid process of renewal and creation - more waypoints than goals. There is no destination. No striving, no reaching. You are there already. Here, we might remind Seneca that, if no wind is favourable, we can equally say, that any wind is.

Living with a sense of purpose is fundamental to our health and wellbeing, but if you have tied your happiness to some arbitrary date in the future, you are missing the point. Your life will not be postponed.

Decide where you want to go, and then, that's that. The only thing left to do is get on with it - and only one place to do it. Time to lower your gaze from the horizon, all the way down to that point right under your feet.

The present.

References:

http://www.mindtools.com/page6.html

http://michaelhyatt.com/goal-setting.html

http://community-reebokone.reebok.com/message/1523#1523
 

Further reading: 

http://www.spring.org.uk/2013/08/how-to-set-better-goals-avoid-four-common-mistakes.php#utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_

campaign=Feed%3A+PsychologyBlog+%28PsyBlog%29

http://zenhabits.net/goal-less/