If you want to achieve your goals, stop focusing on them

I disagree with the logic he presented. His advice is to adjust behaviors instead of focusing on goals.

But the end goal of those behaviors is the ultimate goal!! What value is there in adjusting behaviors without focusing on the end-benefit (i.e. goal). Goals are (or should be) what predicts behaviors, so he really doesn't make any sense to this brain!

What you are saying is right to a certain extent. We should think of the goals we wish to achieve. I am not saying to neglect them completely. But what happens when you focus too much on it is that you will tend to go into a dreamy, wishful thinking kind of mode.

You say that thinking of their goals repeatedly will have a positive effect on people. It can if they do it in moderation. If they over-think about their goals either of the two things might happen:
1. They might just end up daydreaming and indulge in wishful, fantasy thinking because after all the fantasy is sweeter than reality because they have not achieved their goal in reality and it feels good to just keep dwelling on it in their thoughts.

2. The second thing that might happen is that they may become impatient, desperate and will want to achieve their goals as quickly as possible. This will make them look for shortcuts (jumping one WSO after another or one diet plan after another). They won't be able to focus on a single, proven method for long period consistently because they are not getting quick results and their desperation is increasing. The more they think about their goals the more feeling of the lack of it will hit them.

Don't you agree the above could be possible negative side-effects of over-thinking about goals?

I think it is rightfully stated in this thread that you must be obsessed with your goal in order to succeed. I totally merit this notion. Most of the videos bore me so I won't watch. Speakers nowadays bore the bejesus of me.

though the conversation in the thread is interesting ..i had a hard time listening to more than a minute of the presentation

goal have two big parts the goal that is out there in the future ..and what you can do today to get closer to achieving the goal//

so i watched more than a minute ..and yeah he gets in to the behaviours ..

anyway if you are going to focus on goal it is best to focus on the ones you can change your actions to achieve..and much less on the fantasies requiring devine intervention ..a K a ..what you would do if you won the lottery ..

now it may be okay to have some goal that require both..changes to your action and divine intervention ..in the order of say maybe you put out a bunch of you tube videos until you have that one that goes viral ..

Yousei..there are so many ted events now it seems nearly anyone willing to get on stage can find some event to give a speach at ..

I think we have debated long and hard over whether focusing on goals is good or bad. Let us leave off the debate for now.

Interestingly yesterday, after this debate here on this thread, I read a short report which talked about the importance of feeling good. It said that when you think about your goals or plans you should feel good, happy and positive about it. If you are not feeling so then it is better to stop thinking about the goal for the time being.

This was in confirmation to what I had read or heard earlier about the topic. So I guess for some people, if and when they think about their goal, they feel energized and excited, for them it is a good idea to think more about their goals.

As for some others, if they feel a little stressed when thinking about their goal or if they are feeling unhappy because when they think about their goal it makes them aware of the lack of that thing in their life, and if their longing or desperation for it increases then in that case it is probably not a good idea to think about the goal. Stop thinking about the actual end goal and focus on the actions or steps you can take to reach it - focus on how you can do those things properly which might take you nearer to your goal.

anwar ,

for a very long time any time i wrote down goals it was a fairly worthless practice .. as many time they where not my goals written from a well developed understanding of who i am am what really make me feel better ..but more a list of things i was inspired to want that would look like success and impreess other people .

most of my goals the last few years revolved around physical goas involvimg regaining my mobility and healing my back, changing the way i eat ..which helped me lose 30 pounds the last year ..with another 30 or so to go over the next year ..aquiring knoledge to build productive skills..learning to cook.. and moving from one of the most miserable people you could meet to generally happy or at least ..knowing what i needed to do to be happy .

you create the future either by intent or defult..if you eat like an american.. chance are you will get fat .. and develope a range of ailments from the food you eat..

if you eat like a farm animal.. consuming large amounts of corn and soy ..and getting regular dosses of antbiotic.. you will get fat like a farm animal and if you eat fat sick unhealthy animal..what is the term you are what you eat ..

if you write a bunch of goals..and you feel powerless to change your beliefs and behaviours to do what you need to do to get those goal ..those goal will not make you feel good ..

and if you set gol that you can work on and begin making the changes you need to make to get those goals.. and you have smaller rapid achievment goals.. like learn to cook certain food you like to eat in ways that make them tasty and better for you than other options .

l

If you don't focus then you don't hard work for your dreams, if you don't work hard you will fail.