Your Career: Goals Force Choices

Everything You’re Told About Setting Goals is Wrong

From Jeff Haden, bnet.com

Most people fail to reach their goals — and then beat themselves up for lacking the willpower, drive, and persistence to achieve their goals. 

If that’s you, stop.  Now.  The problem isn’t a lack of willpower or drive; the problem is how you’ve been taught to think about goals. 

For example, did you get to work on time today?  Did you get the kids to their activities on time?  Did you get dinner on the table and cut the grass and do the laundry and all that other stuff?  Of course you did.  Why? 

You didn’t really have a choice. 

That’s the main problem:  Most goals give us a choice. 

Tasks are what we have to do. Goals are things we want to do.  That’s why we fail to achieve goals.  We make it to work on time because we have to; punctuality is non-negotiable.  We don’t make it to the gym because we don’t have to; we can negotiate, if only with ourselves, and make other choices. 

Other poor goal setting advice?

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