I want to talk with you about why setting goals in the traditional sense doesn’t work. While talking with a client, she said her most important goal was to have more energy. In her answer to the question why, we discovered that ultimately her goal was bigger than just increased energy. She wanted to be active with her husband, spend quality time with her daughter, and be more active around her house.
When you’re thinking about your goals – it’s not just that you want more energy, or less pain; there is an emotional pull as well. So ask yourself why you want more energy? Why will this improve your life? Attaching an emotion to your goal will help you to be more successful.
One of my friend’s talks about the seven levels of why. Meaning, when you set a goal ask yourself why 7 times so you understand the core emotion behind the goal. If your goal is to have more energy – ask why. When your answer is to spend more time with family, ask why again. Maybe your answer is because you want to make memories. Then ask why this is important to you. By then end of this process you will get to the core of your priorities. When I work with clients we spend time working through this process. It can be called activities of daily living, or life effect, or even life influence.
I encourage you to go through the why process as you set goals. Get down to the core emotion influencing your efforts. This will keep you motivated when the going gets tough. Think back to your biggest accomplishments. I’m willing to bet that what you are most proud of took a lot of work, energy, and perseverance. Set big goals, then focus on the core emotion driving every small step you take on your journey toward making them happen. Each small step accumulates leading you to success.
Here’s to making the rest of your years, the best of your years.