The Science Behind Setting Goals and Achieving Them

A key quality that separates the winners from the losers is Grit. Grit is stamina. Grit is sticking with your future day in and day out – not just for the week, not just for the month, but for years. Grit is living life like it’s a marathon, not a sprint.

Have a growth mindset

People with more grit were far more likely to achieve dreams. In other words, those people with the stamina to be in it for the long haul were the ones who fared best overall.

One fundamental way to develop this is to have a “growth mindset” or the belief that your abilities aren’t fixed, but rather that they can be developed and strengthened with time. These are the people who go for it. They’re not always worried about how smart they are, how they’ll look, what a mistake will mean.

Set meaningful goals

Challenging yourself to grow on a daily basis requires setting goals that are meaningful to you. Specificity is critical when it comes to setting goals you actually achieve. People should think of goals in terms of how defined, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-specific they are. Rather than maintaining the bird’s eye view of what you want to accomplish, break it down into the smallest, most manageable steps you can. Small steps together equal a giant leap.

Setting and achieving goals isn’t about knowing how you’ll get to the end-result, but rather understanding the incremental steps needed to edge you closer to it. You can make very, very small changes that are consistent with your big goals without having to understand how you’re going to get to the endgame.

Build accountability into your life

We wouldn’t get much of anything done if it wasn’t for accountability. If you don’t pay your bills on time, you’ll face late fees. If you don’t prepare for a presentation, you’ll risk falling flat on your face. Those kinds of tasks have clear accountability measures, but once you get into more creative, big-picture territory, holding yourself accountable can become more elusive.

Never underestimate the power of positivity

Reframing goals so that they are positive, rather than triggering you to feel intimidated or afraid, is also important to making progress. Any sort of avoidance is going to trigger inhibition systems, whereas positive goals are going to trigger approach and reward motivation.

One way to do this, is to think in terms of focus areas rather than hard and fast goals. For example, a sales person who maintains a goal mindset might focus on winning a specific number of clients—a task that some might find daunting. Translating that goal into a focus area, on the other hand, would mean concentrating on reaching out to lots of potential clients, rather than over-focusing on a number.

A goal points to a future you intend to reach; an area of focus settles you into the present. Rather than letting your to-do list or set of goals overwhelm you, break down what you’re trying to achieve into the smallest, most attainable steps and focus on being realistic about what you can get done. Don’t shy away from failure and remember how important maintaining a positive frame of mind can be. You’ll cultivate a growth mindset and the stamina and grit it takes to make it for the long haul.