How Bad Is Your Goal?

A Quick Problem with the New Year's Resolution and Goal Setting

So here we are, about to enter the New Year, where you decide this is your year and you delude yourself into believing you're really going to pull it off; you're going to reach your goal this year because this is your year. If your resolution resembles the failed goals of years gone by, NEWSFLASH, this one will fail too. And the worst part will be all the anger and frustration you have because chances are, your goals are results driven.

If what you want to accomplish is actually important to you, you're not going to delay until some special day where miraculously, everything you set out to accomplish will come true. What makes you think that waiting for January 1st will instantly make something you couldn't accomplish the other 364 days of the year doable? Whether you set out to do it on January 1st or on July 17th, the day you start is DAY 1. You have to, in the words of Clint Darden, "go all in or quit." Make no mistake, I want you to succeed. I want you to achieve your goals and I want you to be healthy.

But it won't be easy. It won't be fast. You're going to have days where you want to quit. You're going to have days where "it's just a donut." crosses your mind. I could tell you it's all about goal setting, stick-to-it-iveness, and the power of unicorn farts. I've written about why we fail to achieve goals (Find Your Why) and spoiler alert; it isn't because it's a bad goal or a bad plan. Instead of just regurgitating the same old speech about goals, motivation, dedication (because we've heard it all before, right?), I'm going to break down goal setting my way and then tell you how to make it work. Hope isn't the answer.

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When I was writing the December Newsletter (If you haven't subscribed, please do. It takes a second and we will never spam you.) I came across a quote that inspired a whole new thought process about goal setting. Sure, you've heard about SMART goals and tried your hand at goal setting to have failed. You're not alone. We all set goals that we don't achieve. It isn't unique to fail. It's not unique to move beyond some goals. It's a fact of life; you're going to choose a goal you really want at the time, you're going to bust your ass trying to achieve said goal, and you're going to fail, sometimes through no fault of your own. What happens when we fail to meet our goal, that is up to us. We can get upset, create an excuse or belittle ourselves, and we can give up in frustration, unhappy. And then I read the quote:

"Happy people plan actions, they don't plan results."

- Denis Waitley

Go ahead, read it again, maybe even a third time. Let it sink in. We plan goals and for the most part, we plan results, results that we have damn near no control over. And when we don't meet the result, we are unhappy.

While Waitley doesn't directly mention goal setting, I believe he is referring to how we choose goals and how we go about achieving them. Since 1981, SMART goals have been the way to go. We spent time studying and writing SMART goals in my Sports Counseling classes. The more we worked with them, the less adequate they became. Here’s why: take 30 seconds and reflect on a goal you had this year. Was it a good goal by the framework? Now, was the goal a process or a result? Did you have control over all the aspects of your goal or just a few pieces?

I had a goal to finish the home renovation by September; here it is, almost Christmas, and it isn't done.

By the SMART framework, I chose a good goal.

Specific - Finish Renovating three rooms

Measurable - Completed the walls, flooring, and carpets

Attainable - There were a full 8 weeks, so there's definitely enough time

Realistic - Again, it's been done before, so it's possible

Time - 8 weeks, done by September

It had all the planning, the intentions, and a specific time-frame, but that doesn't make it a good goal on more than paper.  There were some glaring flaws in this goal:

1. It's an old house, nothing is going to be square, level, or easy to modify
2. I am not an army of construction workers
3. I am not a contractor and my contractor is volunteering his expertise when he has time
4. Weather

Right there, I have four reasons my goal was poorly chosen. I was frustrated and unhappy because my goal was a result that I had 20% control over instead of a plan to accomplish what I did have control of. Had I chosen a goal that passed the PACE test I'd have been better off.

Back to you.  How often have you picked a goal that you can't 100% control, 100% define, 100% act upon, and could change as life dictates?  How often do you allow it to stress you out, to discourage you, ruin your positive energy, and make you unhappy?  Are you about to do it again? Maybe it's time to forgo the standard goal setting, move beyond SMART goals and give PACE goals a try.

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What are PACE Goals?

Looking back at Denis Waitley's quote we can make two observations which we'll use in defining PACE:

1. Planning your action steps will lead to happiness
2. Planning results will not

First and foremost, set a REAL goal, not a bullshit, lip-service goal that's so vague even you don't know what it really means. This goal should be about Actions, not results. Further, choose a goal around something that you can actually control. Finally, make the goal one that can evolve with you. If you're going to take the time to make a goal, make sure it passes the PACE test.

A goal that passes the PACE test is clearly defined and places all the success or failure clearly on your shoulders.

PACE stands for:

Process

Action

Controllable

Evolving

We begin with Process. If we listen to Waitley, we are happier when we plan actions, not results. Is your goal a process or a result? We all have ideal results, but a results goal without a process is worthless. In a similar manner, you could do everything right with a results goal and not achieve the desired result. This is the primary reason I believe goals should focus be based on completing a PROCESS. When you choose a process goal, the goal will pass the "what does that mean?" and "what do I have to do?" tests.

--We'll start with a standard goal, "I'm going to lose 20 lbs." This is a result, so we need to answer "what do I have to do?". The process could be "I'm going to eat better and be more active." (what does that mean and what do I have to do?) We redefine the process as "participate in activities that will help me lose weight." Again, what does that mean and what do I have to do? "I have to be intentionally active more than 4 hours per week and reduce my intake of sweets to only 1 serving per week." Aha! A clear process!

Next comes Action. Your goal must require conscious action on your part. This is where we should spend the most time evaluating if our goal is good. Plan the steps to accomplish the result you want and know the action steps you need to take. If our goal does not require conscious action on our part, it will most likely fail the next qualifier in PACE. 

--Action goals for our example are something like "I will train after work on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday" and "I will eat my sweets only on Saturday night."

Controllable is as obvious as it sounds. Do I have control of the process and actions? Again, it's about actions, not results. You can't control results like winning a contest, losing weight, or being healthier any more than you can control which way the wind blows. You can, however, plan and control the actions you take, which if done to the best of your ability, hopefully produce the desired result. Again, it is your goal and you are responsible, therefore it needs to be something you can control.

--"I will train with weights for 45 minutes on M, T, Th, Fr and I will not keep tempting food in my house so I will have to go out to get it on Saturday."

Lastly, any good goal should be Evolving. We need to be willing to re-evaluate and change our goal. Sometimes life cooperates and allows us to complete our action goals. Other times, life dictates a change. Either way, we need to be flexible with our goal. As we achieve, our goal should grow; as we realize certain aspects are unachievable in our time frame, we should modify. Notice I'm not saying give up. Forgoing a goal is a last resort and something only you will know when it is time to call in.  Some times this means allowing more or reducing the number of servings of sweets.

--"I have not been able to train as much as I like. I will train as much as I can and allow myself a serving of sweets only after I have trained 4 days for 45 minutes."

While I moved away from losing 20 lbs as the focus of the goal, the likely result of completing my PACE goals will be better health and weight loss. By creating an action goal that I can control and will evolve as needed, I have a better chance at success and a happy journey.

As we embark on our new journey, consider Waitley's advice with a little bit of hard earned wisdom.  Set your sights high and challenge yourself. Test your goal against the PACE framework. Ask yourself if you are in control of all the pieces that lead to your goal.  If you don't have 100% control, you can still have that goal, but be aware and accepting that you can give your 100% and still not receive the result you are looking for.  Most importantly, execute the planned action and be proud of the accomplishments along the way. 

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The quick list for goal setting:

-What does your goal really mean? Why do you want to do it?  You have to keep asking why until you have a single, solitary reason that can't be defined as anything other than your "purpose."

-Where does your goal rank in your life?  Is it essential or non-essential?  If you aren't willing to give up something you love, you'll be willing to give up on your goal unless you can give it enough weight.  Finding the right reason is paramount.  It needs to be a deep seated reason too, not something like "just because."  If your goal isn't in your top 5, you'll probably say fuck it at some point when it gets tough or it drags on.  Just an observation. Sometimes this means only having 1 or 2 goals at a time.

-Stop telling EVERYBODY.  Tell a few people that matter, the people that give your goal weight, the ones that can check you back on track.

Think of your goals like a car

The car is the complete package

The engine is the motivation, the reason you want to accomplish the goal.   Big engine, higher motivation.  Little engine and your car doesn't mow the grass.

The wheels are the things that keep you grounded when you get carried away.  Cheap tires you slide off the road, you blowout at trouble.

The gas is the effort you put into accomplishing the goal.  Shit in, shit out, etc.

The brakes are there to stop you from going out of control

The steering is to keep you on target

Now PACE.

Process

Actionable

Controllable

Evolving