Set The Goal Then Focus on The Action

The goal was set. Effort was exerted. Effort is not paying off. Motivation is dwindling. What gives?

According to Marie Forleo, a life coach, motivational speaker and author (also named by Oprah as a thought leader for the next generation), the answer lies in the object of our focus. The object of our focus is too often on the goal. In a culture driven by achievement, accolades, emotive reactions and followers, priority has been placed on what you get versus what you put in.

Forleo says that in order to stay motivated and achieve the results we so greatly desire we have to consciously focus not on the goal or the outcome but on the action. What are you doing, in this present moment, to achieve said goal?

Once you’re clear on your goal, this moment is all that you have. Focus on what the achievement looks like in the present moment.

If getting up early is the goal, activities to focus on in the present may include getting to bed earlier and not sitting in front of the t.v watching reruns of KUWTK till the wee hours of the morning. If your goal is to lose ten pounds. Activities to focus on in the present may include not allowing that gallon of ice cream to follow you home and trading in KUWTK for walking, running or swimming.

The future is a fantasy. It’s the domain, which when coveted in the present, rewards with copious amounts of anxiety. When you focus on the how, you are more likely to be rewarded by the continued motivation and momentum required to achieve your goals.

What you get out of life is not what you set out to achieve but what you consciously do every day in pursuit of it. Don’t be left holding a bag of goals.

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