Is Goal Setting the Best Way to Succeed?

Are you getting from Point A all the way to Point B when you use goal setting?

by Kerry Garner Venter

Why Goal Setting can be Limiting and What to Do Instead

I think it’s safe to say that most people would like to achieve results in their life and/or business and that goal-setting is one of the vehicles they use to do so.

In fact, goal setting is possibly one of the most popular self-help strategies out there.  From business goals, personal goals, to SMART (specific, measurable, action-oriented, realistic, and time-based) goals – I’ve even been told I needed to have a…BHAG (big, hairy, audacious, goal)! It’s one of those practices that are widely known…which is why this article could be quite contentious for some.

There are some reasons I believe that goals are actually more limiting than they are a contribution and would love to invite people to play with the alternatives that I’ll go into.

There’s no doubt that many people set and reach goals. It is curious though why others don’t. I perceive that two of the keys to this mystery can be found in both the history and etymology (meaning/root) of the word ‘goal-setting.’

Let’s start with the history first.

According to Wikipedia, Edwin A. Locke was the first person to put goal-setting on the map more than 30 years ago. However, his inspiration actually came from Aristotle, who speculated that purpose can cause action.

I used to do everything I could to ‘find my life purpose’ and live it. From numerology to astrology, to palm readings, to getting special mantras to chant, and of course – setting goals. You name it, I did it in search of my oh-so-evasive purpose. Like so many, I knew that we were all here for something greater and I desperately wanted to know what that was for me.

Little did I know that trying to find your life purpose is buying into the lie that there has to be a cause or reason for you to be in the world, rather than just being it! What if the purpose of life was to have fun and choose what was true for you in every 10 seconds? And what if it was ok that it changed – again and again, and again?

When you have a reason and justification (or purpose) for doing something, it can limit what else is possible, how it actually gets created, and keep you judging yourself for not living or carrying out that purpose.

Change is the only constant – not purpose. So when you have a purpose or goal, it can become the very thing that limits you and what can be created.

Have you ever noticed that you achieve things that you haven’t set goals for? And how much more that occurred with greater ease than when you did have goals? Our performance is not directly tied or linked to goal setting. We are performing every single nanosecond of the day. Performance is relative. It’s all about the meaning that you ascribe to things that make it so.

All you really have to be aware of is what you’d like to create, ask questions about what it requires, and then follow the energy when it’s light and fun. Now I totally get that some of you are thinking, “But what happens when we have to do things that aren’t fun?” and it’s a great question.

There will always be things that we have to do. The difference is knowing when you are doing something that contributes to what you’d like to create in the future vs. doing something you think you have to, must, should, ought to do, that you actually don’t.

When you buy into the values, expectations, and projections from others, you lose touch with what’s true for YOU! When you follow what’s true for you, there’s nothing that will stop you.

 

Now onto the etymology of Goal Setting

I’ve been studying and working with linguistics, semantics, and the etymology of words for over 20 years. Since everything is energy, the words that we use are a vital part of creating the results that we desire since they are one of the most used carriers of energy.

One of my favorite tools to use to look at the energy of words is a free Online Etymology Dictionary – http://www.etymonline.com – which provides the original meanings that are still infused in words we use today.

Here is the result from the word “goal”:

The 1530s, “endpoint of race,” of uncertain origin. It appears once before this (as a goal), in a poem from early 14c. And with an apparent sense of “boundary, limit.” Perhaps from Old English *gal “obstacle, barrier,” a word implied by gælan “to hinder” and also found in compounds (singal, widgal).

Now I’m not sure about you, but I am not about to be putting any of my energy into ‘endpoints, boundaries, limits, obstacles, and barriers.’

Here’s what I would rather do – set TARGETS instead of goal setting!

 

The Benefits of Setting Targets

There are four main reasons I prefer setting targets:

1. You still get points even if you miss the bullseye.

Unlike with goals, if you aim, shoot and miss, you still get points.

 

2. You get instant feedback.

Not only do you get points, but you also get feedback about where to aim for next time you throw (act). And even at the end of a game of darts, unlike with a soccer game, you still come away with seeing the culmination of your efforts.

 

3. You can have as many as you desire and they can be as big or small as you’d like.

A goal post is literally only a certain size, and there can only be one in a game, so there is already limited in that. Targets, however, can be as large as you’d like them and you can aim for as many as you like.

 

When I stopped judging myself for not attaining my goals and began to set targets for myself instead, I found I had more ease, joy, and fun with the process and I that I was able to hit them more consistently.

Try them. The only way not to get points is if you don’t aim and shoot.

 

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About the Author

Kerry Garner Venter is a business and leadership mentor, life coach and certified Joy of Business facilitator.

Kerry earned a degree in Psychology and Human Energy Systems at Tuscon, Arizona, and then embarked on decades’ long research into psychology, consciousness, and subtle energy. She gained her Master’s degree in Conscious Leadership Development and Whole System Change from Middlesex University, U.K.

She later began a successful career as an executive coach and consultant, covering a diverse portfolio such as leadership, team optimization, culture transformation, and learning and development.

A near death experience as a child forever changed Kerry’s views on human potential and led to profound insights into the mind and the constraints of perceived limitation. She is a lifelong seeker of knowledge and deeper understanding.

As a facilitator of Joy of Business, Kerry now travels the world-leading business classes and retreats, assisting business and team leaders to transcend the limitations of conventional thought and traditional business practice. The joy of Business is a special program by Access Consciousness. www.kerrygarnerventer.com