I have been a goal setter ever since my mid-twenties.
And when I look back, I notice that I achieved some of the things I set out to do and failed at some too.
I used to be hard on myself over my perceived failures, thinking I was not somehow good enough.
Yet I now see things differently and in a way that gets better results and without self-defeating critical self-talk.
The reason for failure
When I look back at the goals I did not achieve I realise that some of them were just not that important to me. So, the energy behind them just fizzled out.
That’s fine and it happens to all of us.
Some goals, however, were more important and I began to see a common denominator in the failure.
What is the nature of success?
When I reflected on this, I realised that the nature of success is not in the goals you set, but in the systems you create and maintain.
In other words, you can set a goal but unless you create the system of achieving the goal the chances of success are vastly diminished.
You already have a system
One of the things that has been extremely helpful to me is the teachings of coach Steve Chandler.
I learned from Steve that:
‘Every system is perfect for the result that it creates.’
About fifteen years ago I wrote a book and I decided to self-publish. I went through this process but was not happy with the result and the book never saw the light of day.
So, when I got the idea for the next book I did not want to repeat the previous experience. So, I changed the system.
This time I got other people involved. I hired a publisher, an editor, and a designer. These people all knew what they were doing and most importantly guided me through the areas where I was likely to get stuck. Also, they had deadlines that I agreed to, so no procrastinating.
The difference?
The system I had for my first book was perfect for the result it created. No book. The revised system was perfect for achieving a finished book.
If you reflect on your own life, can you see areas where there was a discrepancy between the goal you wanted and a system that did not support it?
Goals are just moments in time
Although many of us place a great deal of importance on setting goals the achievement of any goal happens in a moment.
In George Leonard’s excellent book, ‘Mastery’ he highlights our media and culturally driven obsession with climatic moments.
Yet these occasional moments are not where you live your life. Life happens in between the moments.
This is why it’s important to turn end goals into process goals. It’s the stuff that we do each day that matters – the systems we create.
Did you make the call? Go for a run or down the gym? Call your friend? Tell your partner you love them? Work on that important project?
James Clear, author of the best-selling, ‘Atomic Habits’ said:
“You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems.”
PS. Did this article resonate with you? If so, you may also enjoy, ‘Are your feelings running your business?’ Click here to view.
