Right from the time of Mahabharata, we’ve been told to focus on the eye of the fish.
Because if we don’t, we can’t hit it.
That’s how the concept of setting goals was started.
Arjun knew that his marriage to Draupadi depended on it.
The modern era takes this goal-setting one step further by making it S.M.A.R.T.
Specific
Measurable
Achievable
Realistic
Time-bound
But is goal-setting sufficient to achieve it?
Was Arjun able to hit the eye of the fish because he could see nothing else.
Or was it because of the years of practice of archery?
I’m not saying that you shouldn’t have a goal. What I’m saying is that having a goal is a necessary but not a sufficient condition.
Why do I say so?
1. Winners and Losers have the same goal
Everyone who participates in the Olympics wants to win a gold medal.
Have you ever seen someone who says that my goal is to win the bronze medal?
Every time Virat Kohli goes out to bat, his aim is to score a 100 so that his team wins.
Every batsman has the same goal. But not everyone succeeds every time.
That means ‘Goal’ isn’t what differentiates a winner from a loser.
2. Achieving a goal is only a momentary change
Have you ever been scolded by your mother for your messy room?
After relentless scolding and bashing you finally clean it up.
But what happens two days later?
It becomes messy again. And the cycle continues.
You did achieve your goal but the change that it brought was momentary.
Because you’re fixing problems at the result-level.
What you really need to change are the systems that cause those results.
3. Goals limit your happiness
You set a new year’s resolution of losing 10 kilos this year.
Every time you look at the weighing scale, you tell yourself “Once I lose weight, I’ll be happy”.
By saying this your happiness gets trapped in a future that may never become present.
You are subjecting yourself to days of disappointment for a moment of happiness in the future.
What you need to do is celebrate the small changes you make.
Be it the daily carb intake or the number of steps you took today.
If we shouldn’t focus on goals then what should we do?
Build Systems
What is a system?
It is a series of habits that lead you towards your goals.
If your goal is to lose 10 kilos, your system consists of your eating habits, your exercising routine, and your ability to mitigate those cute messages from Zomato and Swiggy.
Virat Kohli trains probably the hardest in the Indian cricket team right now.
If you take a look at his diet, you’ll understand how he has managed to remain injury-free in his career.
Listen to any of his interviews, his focus remains always on the process. Because that is the only thing under his control.
Of course he wants to score big every time but so do the other 10 players in the team. His systems are what differentiates him from the others!
If you want to avoid being scolded by your mom/spouse then you should build a system of keeping your shoes on a rack, putting all your dirty clothes in a laundry bag and keeping your books on a shelf.
Automatically you’ll achieve your goal of keeping your room clean.
Goals are necessary to give you direction. But what will drive you towards your goal are the systems that you put in place. Focus on the tiny habits and you shall finally achieve your goal!