How to Achieve Your Goals in 2023
Value Proposition: Learn to achieve your goals without thinking.
One pain point for goal-setting is that it can take emphasis away from the process and place it on the outcome.
I much prefer a process-oriented approach when it comes to achievements. For me, it’s much more important than I show up every day and write as opposed to reach X amount of followers or make Y amount of money through what I create.
I think this is a far more sustainable approach than setting goals that are outside of your control. This reflects an internal locus of control — the powerful belief that what one does in the world matters. Greg Lukianoff and Jonathan Haidt, in their The Coddling of the American Mind, connect this belief to “greater health, happiness, effort expended, success in school, and success at work.”
When we set goals outside of our control, we fundamentally risk our locus of control. For example, if I set a goal to reach 1,000 followers by the end of the month, I can do everything in my control (writing every day, engaging new audiences, tailoring what I write to expand my reach, etc.), yet I still may not reach 1,000 followers. I am setting myself up to learn that I can’t control my environment.
But, it’s not that simple.
