Success doesn't happen accidentally. In order to succeed at anything, you will need to set goals and achieve them. However, whether you achieve your goals depends on whether you are motivated by them. The motivational power of your goals, in turn, depends on the extent to which you utilize effective principles of psychology when you formulate them.
Process Goals vs. Outcome Goals
Process goals are more effective than outcome goals, according to the Mayo Clinic. An example of a process goal would be to run 5,000 meters three times a week. An example of an outcome goal would be to finish in the top 10 percent in the Boston Marathon. Outcome goals are inferior motivators because their achievement doesn't depend completely on your own efforts. In the Boston Marathon example, achievement of the goal depends on the performance of the other competitors.
Clarity
Edwin A. Locke, Professor Emeritus at the University of Maryland School of Business, developed a goal-setting system after years of research into goal-setting and motivation. One of the primary principles is goal clarity. You should frame your goals as specifically as possible, using numerical benchmarks when possible and appropriate. This not only allows you to know when you have achieved your goal, but also allows you to track your progress much more easily.
Challenge Level
You should set goals that are slightly beyond your immediate grasp but not so far beyond it that you have no hope of achieving them, according to the Turner Leadership Center at the University of Kentucky. An unrealistic goal will fail to motivate you because you cannot realistically imagine achieving it. By contrast, an easy goal will provide you with little "accomplishment feedback" even if you do achieve it.
Sub-Goals
"Psychology Today" magazine advises goal-setters to break their large goals down into sub-goals that will provide frequent feedback. The more positive feedback you obtain, the more encouragement you will take. Break yearly goals into monthly, weekly and perhaps even daily goals.
Rewards
Both "Psychology Today" magazine and the Turner Leadership Center advise people to reward themselves when goals or sub-goals have been achieved. Be careful not to reward yourself in a way that undermines your goal, however. For example, don't reward yourself with a cake for losing five pounds.
Passion
When you have a choice about which goal to choose, select one that passionately arouses you. Your goals should be subjectively meaningful to you. The more you value the achievement represented by the goal, the more it will motivate you. There may be no way to find a physical fitness goal that excites you, for example, if you are not athletically inclined. If you have the option to choose your college major, however, major in a subject that interests you.
References
- Mind Tools: Locke's Goal Setting Theory
- "Psychology Today"; The Goals That Guide Us; Hara Estroff Marano; July 22, 2003.
- Mayo Clinic: Weight Loss Goals--10 Tips for Success
- University of Kentucky Turner Leadership Academy: Goal-Setting Handout
- Mind Tools: Five Golden Rules for Successful Goal Setting
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