Are Goals The Answer Part 2

This is part two of a discussion about goals. Once again, drawing from a recent read, I wanted to expand a bit on the below quote. I once heard a great champion say that winning was only momentary. It is true. IF you reach your goal (we will talk about that pitfall in Part 3), you get momentary happiness. But it’s only temporary. Let’s say for example, you set a goal and motivate yourself to reach it. And do. Great! But then what. If you missed part one of this short article series, I talked about the importance of addressing systems and processes that allow you to succeed, versus just setting a goal. The below quote really sums up how not addressing the core habit (system) is simply treating the symptom. Instead, address the cause.

“Problem #2: Achieving a goal is only a momentary change. Imagine you have a messy room and you set a goal to clean it. If you summon the energy to tidy up, then you will have a clean room—for now. But if you maintain the same sloppy, pack-rat habits that led to a messy room in the first place, soon you’ll be looking at a new pile of clutter and hoping for another burst of motivation. You’re left chasing the same outcome because you never changed the system behind it. You treated a symptom without addressing the cause.”

Excerpt From

Clear, James. “Atomic Habits.” Penguin Publishing Group, 2018-10-16. Apple Books. 
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In summary, my suggestion is for you to address what would cause a significant change in your outcomes (end goals) if you addressed the cause (systems and processes) and focused on that. Don’t settle for momentary success, instead strive for permanent change that will help guide you toward repeated successes.

Until Then – Train Hard!

Mike S.