HI FRIENDS
Normally in the new year people start making their resolutions. I love it. There’s nothing wrong with using the new year as an opportunity to mark a refreshing ritual of transformation. But sometimes the goal-setting ferver can be counter-productive and even distracting. So I thought it would be fun to collect together some thinklings which question “goals” in favour of something more wholistic: your calling.
So, grab yourself a big bucket of salt, and enjoy some of these thinklings with me.
A TED TALK ABOUT WHY YOU SHOULD STOP SETTING GOALS
In this talk, Emmanuel Acho shares some interesting thoughts on the reasons that we set goals. “We’ve been indoctrinated with a belief that we have to set goals to achieve.”
Watch it ➔
JAMES CLEAR ON SWAPPING GOALS FOR SYSTEMS
“The purpose of setting goals is to win the game. The purpose of building systems is to continue playing the game. True long-term thinking is goal-less thinking. It’s not about any single accomplishment. It is about the cycle of endless refinement and continuous improvement. Ultimately, it is your commitment to the process that will determine your progress.
With outcome-based habits, the focus is on what you want to achieve. With identity-based habits, the focus is on who you wish to become.
Goals are good for setting a direction, but systems are best for making progress. If you want better results, then forget about setting goals. Focus on your system instead.”
—James Clear, Atomic Habits
A random user on Twitter: “I like to clarify my roles rather more than my goals.”
MESSI DOESN’T THINK ABOUT SCORING
This video starts off as a technical dissection of Messi’s approach to defending, but by the 5 minute mark, it turns into a fascinating insight into the mindset of the greatest player in history. “Every time, I go out on the pitch”, he says, “I think less about the goal and more about the game”.
Watch it ➔
CONSIDERING CONDITION-DIRECTEDNESS
I found this short blog post, although heady, quite intriguing. Katya uses the language of “condition orientation” to describe a different way of being purposeful where simple goals no longer work.
Read it ➔
