CRACKING THE GOAL ACHIEVEMENT CODE: AN OVERVIEW OF THE 3 TYPES OF GOALS
- Alex Yeboah Sasu
- Mar 12, 2024
- 4 min read
As the New Year unfolds, Samuel, Seth, and Sasa engage in the customary practice of writing out their goals for the upcoming year. Following this exercise, it becomes evident that while some of their goals align, others diverge significantly. Health emerges as one of the common areas of focus. Let’s take a look at how they each wrote it…
Samuel wrote: “Be in good shape”
Seth wrote: “Go to the gym twice a week”
Sasa wrote: “Lose 30 pounds of my weight”
Isn’t it interesting that although they had the same idea in mind, the wording of the goals was done very differently? This prompts the question: Does the wording of a goal hold significance? Does it impact outcomes? Well, my short answer is a resounding YES! And my long answer? Just read on…
WANT TO SCORE A GOAL?
Soccer holds a special place in my heart—I've been immersed in the sport since childhood, nurturing dreams of becoming a professional soccer player. Legend has it, I took my first steps earlier than most infants, driven by my passion for soccer. According to my parents, I often shouted "goal" and made attempts to kick at objects. In response, they provided me with a ball, and my persistent efforts to kick is what did the magic.
In my view, soccer stands out as the most thrilling sport worldwide. Credit to whoever conceived the idea. The primary objective of any soccer team is to score—meaning, to propel the ball past the opponent's goalpost into the net. Given my deep comprehension of the game and my dedication to assisting individuals in achieving their life goals, I draw numerous parallels between the two pursuits, integrating soccer terminologies into my framework for goal setting.
To ‘score’ a life goal simply means to achieve the goals you’ve written down for yourself. My comprehensive approach to goal setting is encapsulated in the acronym SCORE, which stands for:
Seeing Clearly
Conceptualizing Practically
Organizing Holistically
Running Strategically
Evaluating Regularly
I'm convinced that by comprehending the significance of these phrases and implementing the principles, you'll undoubtedly achieve significant goals in your life. In this article, I'll be directing our attention towards the "C" in the SCORE acronym. Let’s dive right into it.
CONCEPTUALIZING PRACTICALLY
How you conceptualize or perceive something significantly influences your interactions with it. For instance, when faced with an unfamiliar number on your ringing phone, your decision to answer hinges greatly on whether you suspect it to be a scam call or not. Similarly, the manner in which you conceptualize your goals profoundly influences the effort you'll invest, your likelihood of achievement, your ability to recognize attainment, and the extent of success you'll achieve. In fact, I believe that there are three ways of conceptualizing goals – Outcome goals, Input goals and Desired goals.
Outcome goals are general and lifelong. In other words, they are goals that once conceived, are unlikely to change over the course of your lifetime. Samuel's goal, "Be in good shape," exemplifies an outcome goal. This is because it's very likely he will never desire to be in poor physical condition at any point in his life. Under normal circumstances, it's probable that he will always aim to maintain good shape, and that's what makes it lifelong. However, achieving your outcome goals is actually dependent on your input goals.
Input goals are very specific and active. And unlike outcome goals, input goals are fully dependent on you. In other words, you will never be able to score your input goals if you do nothing about it. You have to ‘show working’. Seth’s goal to “Go to the gym twice a week” is a good example of an input goal. Ever heard of SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time bound) goals? Well, input goals must be SMART for it to be good. And do you see how SMART Seth’s goal is? (If you are not very familiar with SMART goals, you don’t have to worry. My next article will focus on that).
Desired goals are goals that are not fully within your control. In other words, although your inputs may contribute to their attainment, they are dependent on external factors (time and chance, but ultimately God) as well. Sasa’s goal “To lose 30 ponds” is a perfect example of a desired goal. While diligent exercise and dietary management (input goals) could likely lead to shedding those pounds, there's no absolute assurance of achieving the exact 30-pound loss. I'm aware of individuals who diligently adhere to such practices but still struggle to attain their desired body weight.
FOCUS ON INPUT GOALS
I am presently conducting a survey on goal setting and its impact on individuals' lives. As of the current writing date (March 12, 2024), 93 participants have taken part in the survey. Here are the findings:
Only 18% of respondents stated that they consistently set goals every year over the past five years.
A notable 23% admitted to never having set goals for themselves within the same time frame.
Interestingly, 14% indicated that they began setting goals in the current year (and most of those people actually started because they attended my webinar on goal setting or watched the recording)
Furthermore, a significant 45% confessed to setting goals in the last five years but acknowledged their inconsistency in doing so.
It's evident that the majority of individuals don't prioritize goal setting. Even among those who do, consistency remains a challenge. One significant contributing factor to this inconsistency is the tendency to prioritize the wrong goals. I strongly advocate for setting all three types of goals to become a prolific life goal scorer. However, consistent focus on Input goals is paramount, as they are entirely within your control. If most or all your goals are desired or outcome in nature, I can assure you that sooner or later, you'll lose motivation and may conclude that goal setting is ineffective or that you lack diligence. However, the real issue lies in how your goals are worded.
I sincerely hope you will fully embrace the concept of goal setting, accurately conceptualize your goals, and actively pursue your input goals. God bless you!
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Very helpful, thanks!
Amazing insight.