#goal-setting

#goal-setting

And Hall says that for much of her running career, "I got really used to being in this position of someone who is on the edge of a breakthrough yet never actually doing it." But looking at Hall's approach to running, and her commitment to the sport over nearly a decade of ultras, it seems like it likely wasn't a matter of if, but when her breakthrough would happen.

Today, I want to share a goal-setting process I use in my life whenever I feel a change is needed. I also use it in just about every client session, both at the start of treatment and periodically along the way. This creates a sweet synergy: Using a tool yourself is the best way to learn what it takes to actually apply it.

Imagine you've set the goal of running a marathon that's 90 days away. You've hired a trainer who says this a less than optimal amount of time, but if you stick religiously to her fitness routine, nutrition plan, and sleep schedule, you'll be ready come race day. Cheat in any of those three areas, she warns, and you won't be able to run 26.2 miles on three month's notice.

Goals are standards that individuals use to evaluate how well they are doing now relative to where they want to end up. Goals basically guide our choices. Once you have a goal, the hard part is figuring out the steps that will get you from point A to point B. The following guide can help you make well-defined and achievable goals. It also provides clues about the various ways that goal achievement fails (Berkman, 2018; Matthews, 2015).

Individuals are more reluctant to lose something they possess than to acquire something of value that they presently lack. This leads to a massive difference in how motivated they become to accomplish new objectives. In psychology, this is referred to as loss aversion. A study published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology: General illustrates what this looks like in everyday life. Across four experiments, it became clear that the fear of loss can often be a far stronger motivator than hope for gaining something new.

If Michael Scott's 'vision board' from 'The Office' taught us anything, it's that scribbling, 'You miss 100% of the shots you don't take - Wayne Gretzky - Michael Scott' on a whiteboard isn't exactly a strategy. It's iconic, sure, but not the kind of plan that keeps your goals moving forward. A GPT vision board tool is the answer. Imagine if, instead of hockey quotes and improv flyers, The Office's protagonist had a board that showed real milestones, next steps, and the bigger picture.

The birds like to return to familiar nesting spots, but inclement weather can jeopardise their efforts to reach those preferred destinations. If they fly into a storm, they risk exhaustion or disorientation. Instead, they may have to alter their course, forcing them to spend the winter in less familiar settings. When it comes to prospering through the winter, doggedly sticking to a particular route or rigidly fixating on a particular location can be counterproductive for migrating birds; flexibility is key.

Teams are one of humanity's greatest tools of innovation and discovery. One study showed that teams are six times more likely than individuals to produce breakthrough scientific innovations. But working in teams doesn't guarantee success. Groups can also make us less motivated, conformist, and polarized. In my new book, The Collective Edge: Unlocking the Secret Power of Groups, I rifled through decades of research about how to get the most from your teams.

The Folly of Free Time I have written before about the folly of free time -how a weekend away from work, a vacation, or just an evening when nothing in particular is scheduled (but two or three hours exist between dinner and bedtime) implies that the artist should get to work and not squander this gift. But blocking free time on your Google calendar does not necessarily transform into productive hours.

You can't go on with business as usual and expect great results. You must find ways to stand apart from the rest and be able to attract a book of loyal clients.

"Over time, the goals I wrote down started to become more and more serious," she wrote. "Yet, I had a hard time reflecting on the goals I achieved."