If a goal does not give you a butterfly in the stomach type of fluttery feeling, the goal is not exciting or enough of a stretch for you.
Many people initially create goals that sound boring to them when said aloud! They are often someone else’s wording or creation. They can often be goals that they think that they should be working towards based upon family, cultural, age or societal expectations. Or that they should be said in a particular way. Then they wonder why they consistently do not accomplish the goals. They, of course, blame themselves. You may even have set one of these goals yourself…
Get Clear on your Vision
When you have clarity on your Vision for how you would like your life, or specific aspects of it to be, it is much easier to then create the goals that will help you to make this rich picture a reality. If you still want to work on your Vision, last month’s Brighter Thinking Tips will enable you to tap in to what you are dreaming about.
It is of course much easier to think about a goal that you have achieved previously. Your brain has existing neural connections about the goal so the route to accomplishment is already there. Refinements to the plan or if there is a slightly different target will suggest a novelty factor. This maintains interest and motivation. For example, elite athletes utilise this strategy. They set goals to beat their Personal Best times, finish higher up the leader board, or by entering different competitions.
Consequently, a new goal is initially motivating. No work has been done on moving towards it yet so the ‘high’ of deciding on the target is very real. In my experience of working as a professional Life Coach, Executive Coach and Leadership Coach at Brighter Thinking, that elation can soon dissipate. This is exacerbated the longer the client has uncertainty of how to go about the business of achieving the goal.
Plan to succeed
The feelings of overwhelm reduce as the brain’s limbic system deactivates with the designing of a plan. There is now certainty on the markers in place representing the path to goal achievement. This is also why I believe that too much time between coaching sessions, especially at the start of the coaching engagement is not a good idea. At Rachel Bamber, Brighter Thinking I recommend one to two weeks maximum, if possible.
First published in 1981, Doran’s mnemonic device, SMART, is widely accepted in the corporate arena. It is useful to remember when goal setting. If you are not familiar with this acronym, SMART stands for: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time-bound or the original term, Time-Related.
The brain creates a threat state around uncertainty and ambiguity. Therefore, creating goals that are precise, have a clear measure, are appropriate to you and with a deadline for achievement are the right thing to do. They will be somewhat effective. Personally, I am not a fan of relying on SMART goals in coaching though. They miss out an important component of what makes a goal brain-friendly, and more likely to be achieved – or exceeded!
What sets humans apart from machines is our ability to feel emotions. As you will know very well, emotions are what drive you to act. People who suffer from damage to their Pre-Frontal Cortex (executive function of the brain) or amygdala (part of the Limbic System, involved in fight or flight reactions) know this well. They have great difficulty making simple decisions, empathy and social behaviour. This is because they are unable to weigh up choices related to their particular objectives or process emotions.
The Tale of Phineas Gage
The most famous example from history is Phineas Gage. In 1848, the popular, hard-working railway construction worker survived a traumatic brain injury. This happened when a metre long iron tamping iron was accidentally driven through his skull from an explosion whilst excavating rock. Despite what might seem like a miraculous recovery, when Gage returned to work, he was let go. As his friends reported, he was “No longer Gage”.
His personality had completely changed. The previously thought of “smart businessman with a shrewd mind” was now obstinate, impatient and unable to settle on any plans. Plus, he swore a lot. The study of Gage and the unfortunate traumatically brain injured others after him, such as more recently, Olympic Gold Medallist, James Cracknell OBE have unwittingly contributed to neuroscience.
What would you like to feel?
Therefore, what determines our drive and effort to achieve a goal is making it compelling and including emotion. Whether this is for example: excitement, satisfaction, calm, joy or happiness will depend on the type of accomplishment that you desire. Really tapping into all the feelings that you wish to experience as a result of making the changes in yourself – so that success is guaranteed – is one of the powerful ways that I can support (and challenge!) you.
Remember, you get what you focus on.
References:
Doran, G. T. (1981). “There’s a S.M.A.R.T. way to write management’s goals and objectives” (PDF). Management Review. 70 (11): 35–36.
Author: Rachel Bamber, Brighter Thinking Limited