UTurn^TV

Over the years I have attended training sessions where trainers, when discussing the topic of Goal Setting, mention a study done at an American university.  This study is used to illustrate the value of committing to paper your life goals, the theory being that the act of writing them down gives them some extra special power or greater validity and thereby ensures you not only achieve them but can achieve even more than you originally set out to.

As a trainer myself, I have been known once or twice to say “a trainer once told me about this study…” but always had it in the back of my mind that I should go and do my own research so that I can quote the facts and figures accurately.  So I did.  And lo and behold I found that the study may never have taken place!  Apart from the immediate feeling of embarrassment it generated within me it also made me wonder about the mechanics of goal setting and about what works and what doesn’t.  (I have put a link at the bottom of this post which will take you to one of the pieces of research I came across which I found very thorough and informative.)

When I read this information it immediately made me question whether writing down your goals actually makes any difference to whether you end up living the life you really want to live.

I did actually write down my goals some years ago and I achieved mostly everything that I wanted to within that particular year.  However, I have achieved a great deal since then by just mentally focussing on what I want and so far seem to be having the same level of success.  I might even go as far as saying that I have acheived more success by not writing them down.  That may be because I have been doing a great deal of personal develpment in recent years and now have a much much better understanding of what motivates me and how I personally need to get things done.

Perhaps at it’s simplest level just having goals is enough to create the momentum in you?  If writing them down works for you but not for me then surely it doesn’t make much of a difference does it?  As long as we are moving towards the things we want that will make us truly happy then it doesn’t really matter what ‘methodology’ we apply.

Perhaps sticking notes on your fridge will inspire you to focus on your goals?  Perhaps discussing them with a trusted friend will make them real for you?  Perhaps not discussing them with anyone will keep them precious to you? Or you put them in your electronic diary and set a reminder for the date you need to achieve them by? Perhaps you could Twitter them or let all of your friends on Facebook know?

I suspect the very acknowledgement that you have goals will create the desire within you to do something to take you towards them.  Ultimately the important thing will be to DO something that takes you closer to what you want.

So – what are you going to DO? When?  How? I hope you’ll let me know.

I hope that as you’ve read this you are having a wonderful day.

Jules

This is the link to the information I found:  http://sidsavara.com/personal-productivity/fact-or-fiction-the-truth-about-the-harvard-written-goal-study#comment-17263524

Posted in: Motivation
Tags:goal settings,goals,reaching your goals