subject: Achieve Happiness from Goal Setting [print this page] Achieve Happiness from Goal Setting Achieve Happiness from Goal Setting
The first step anyone takes when they start trying to lose weight, build muscle or just get fit is to set a goal. Whether you do it consciously not you always have some plan for what you want. A good goal will be able to pull you out of tough moments and help you in your moments of weakness, and it forms most of the drive you should have. I've never met anyone who doesn't have a clear idea of their goal in mind from the start.
Although having a goal is important there is one thing that will be more vital to your success and that is your happiness. If what you are doing isn't making you happy you're dooming yourself to fail sooner or later.
Completing your goal is still important though, you should never forget that, but you can't let it get in the way of enjoying yourself and the process that leads up to your success.
It's even been proven that you are happiest not when you achieve a goal but when you are in the process of achieving something. The reason is because while you're working towards your goal you have a purpose but as soon as it's reached you don't have anywhere left to go. As soon as you succeed in reaching your goal you get a short time of elation, but it's followed by a depression. You get depressed because you don't have anything to strive for anymore. You essentially lose all of your motivation.
As they say once you reach the top the only way to go is down.
Getting away from the downside of goal setting though here are some of the ways I keep myself motivated. Firstly I always set goals that I am unlikely to ever reach. Not this biggest motivation but it gives you something to always be aiming for. Secondly I set a bunch of micro goals, or milestones. These short-term goals are great because I still get that good feeling from achieving a goal, but I don't have the depression because I have something else to aim for straight after it.
A man named Jonathan Haidt wrote a book called "The Happiness Hypothesis" which applies ideas from big thinkers from the past like Buddha or Ghandi and applies them to our modern lives. The book mainly looks at the keys to happiness, fulfilment, and meaning, and it talks a lot about what I'm describing here. Chapter 10 of the book talks about how love and work give a sense of purpose and a meaning to life. All of the topics in this chapter can all be brought back to what I'm trying to say here.
What I'm trying to get you to take away from this is to make sure you don't let goals get in the way of enjoying yourself. If this means you have to have a cheat day every week so you can keep having small portions of your favourite food then do it. Don't be afraid to flexible either because it's ok to move your goals around. Your goals are there to make you happy not stop you from being happy or enjoying yourself.
So always keep it in mind that it's ok to change your goals, and it's ok to change if it means you are going to be happier.
