Achieving Goals: Clarify Your Motives

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"He who has a why to live, can bear to live almost any how."
~Friedrich Nietzche

Why am I so concerned with goal setting? Brian Tracyonce said that "Success is goals; all else is commentary." This post's main concern is something that comes before we even start to work toward our goals. Much like how a person must brainstorm about characters and back stories before he or she sits down to write a story, this step although it seems indirectly related to working towards your goal is vitally important.

Clarify Your Motives
Again, Tracy suggests that when you make goals brainstorm all the reasons that you have to achieve those goals, and constantly remind yourself of these reasons. The more reasons you have, the more likely you are to work toward your goals. If, for instance, you want to pay off your debt, list all the things you will be able to do with no payments, such as save for your kid's college, save for retirement, and have a "no-worries" emergency fund so that if you lose your job you have 3, 6, or even 12 months to find a new one without having to drastically change your lifestyle.

Examples abound in our culture of this principle. Maybe you are Rocky Balboa in Rocky taping a picture of Apollo Creed to your mirror to remind yourself that you are going to prove to everybody that you aren't just a nobody from Philly, that the little guy can win against big odds, and a low-level mafia enforcer from the docks can turn his life around. Or maybe you're Rocky Balboa in Rocky II fighting to give your wife and newborn son, who were on the brink of death, the strength to recover, proving that your last fight wasn't a fluke--that you really are a contender, and giving that cocky Apollo his comeuppance. You could also be Rocky Balboa in Rocky III proving you deserve to be champion, honoring the memory of your fallen trainer, Micky, rediscovering your passion for the sport you love, regaining the respect of the boxing community, and connecting to your new friend, Apollo. Or you could even be Rocky Balboa in Rocky IV avenging your best friend, Apollo, taking on the forces of evil, communism, and cultural intolerance, and proving that the American spirit of independence and stick-to-it-iveness conquers all ("because if I's can change and you's can change the whole world can change").

In all seriousness, Rocky (and almost all sports movies) is a good example of a person who is goal driven. Rocky's objective is never to win for the sake of winning. That would make him a shallow, arrogant jerk. His opponents are always embodiments of the greater inner battle he is fighting against.

This is also evident among the contestants on the show The Biggest Loser. As the trainers beat down and break the contestants they are constantly asking, "Who are you doing this for?" or "Why are you here?" They do this to motivate them as they tear them apart.

So next time you make a goal, sit down and brainstorm all the reasons that you must fulfill that goal.

What motives can you cite for reaching your goals?