Comments on: The Funny Thing About Goals

By: What Makes You Successful? — hallicious

What Makes You Successful? — hallicious — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 03:50:59 +0000

[...] I remember the lesson like it was yesterday. We covered the topic of success in Management 301 my junior year at the Zoo and the answer really resonated with me. What I found out was that success starts and ends with me. I can’t define your success and you can’t define mine. We can only define success for ourselves, and to me that’s another funny thing about goals. [...]

By: Hallicious

Hallicious — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 01:05:49 +0000

I agree with your points, Justin. However, I would argue that general goals can help clarify direction when an individual or group of individuals is playing / experimenting / exploring.

Big picture goals don't necessarily have to define failure by default, either, when expectations are low… I think it all depends on the goal setter's mindset from the start

I have noticed that people really get hung up on goals with dates attached to them, i.e. I need this done by next Tuesday… That is not a level of specificity that I mean when I say general goals above. :)

By: Hallicious

Hallicious — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 21:05:49 +0000

I agree with your points, Justin. However, I would argue that general goals can help clarify direction when an individual or group of individuals is playing / experimenting / exploring.

Big picture goals don't necessarily have to define failure by default, either, when expectations are low… I think it all depends on the goal setter's mindset from the start

By: Justin Kownacki

Justin Kownacki — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 05:25:03 +0000

I think two reasons people are opposed to goals are:

1. Setting a goal means you're working instead of playing / experimenting / exploring, and that change in mindset can rob a person of the joy s/he previously derived from the experience.

2. Once you define success, by default, you've also defined failure. And failure is something no one flirts with willingly.

I think goals are incredibly important for improving yourself, your craft or your standing in life, but there's also a time and a method for setting goals that won't work against you. Too little risk and you'll never grow, but too great a challenge and you'll never surmount it.

Who knew personal growth required an understanding of your own capabilities?