Succeed

Key Takeaways

1. Set specific, challenging goals to maximize motivation and achievement

Just playing a team sport can give you a sense of this—when other people's happiness and well-being are at stake, you feel responsible.

Specific goals drive action. When setting goals, be as specific and challenging as possible while remaining realistic. Vague goals like "do your best" lead to mediocre performance, while clear, difficult goals energize and focus our efforts. For example, "lose 10 pounds in 2 months" is more motivating than "lose some weight."

Challenge fuels motivation. Challenging goals push us to:

• Increase effort and focus
• Persist longer
• Develop better strategies
• Process information more deeply

However, goals should be difficult yet attainable. Impossible goals lead to discouragement, while overly easy goals fail to inspire our best efforts. The key is finding the right balance of challenge and achievability.

2. Choose goals that satisfy basic human needs for lasting happiness

Only when we have come to recognize that a goal we have cannot be attained do we make room in our lives for something we can achieve.

Happiness requires fulfillment. To achieve lasting well-being and satisfaction, pursue goals that fulfill the basic human needs for:

• Relatedness: Feeling connected to others
• Competence: Developing skills and mastery
• Autonomy: Having choice and control over one's actions

Goals focused solely on external validation, like seeking fame or wealth, often fail to bring lasting happiness. Instead, choose goals that:

• Strengthen relationships and contribute to your community
• Allow for personal growth and skill development
• Reflect your authentic interests and values

By aligning your goals with these fundamental needs, you're more likely to find meaning, enjoyment, and sustained motivation in your pursuits.

3. Frame goals as "getting better" rather than "being good" for resilience

Frame a goal one way, and the person pursuing it will work hard but never love what he is doing. Frame a goal another way, and you'll create interest and enjoyment—but to be honest, probably not spectacular performance (at least not in the short run).

Growth mindset fuels persistence. Framing goals in terms of learning and improvement ("getting better") rather than proving ability ("being good") leads to greater resilience, enjoyment, and long-term success. This mindset shift has several benefits:

• Increased persistence in the face of setbacks
• Greater willingness to take on challenges
• More enjoyment of the process, not just the outcome
• Better handling of negative feedback
• Deeper learning and information processing

For example, a student focused on "getting better" at math will see difficulties as opportunities to learn, while one fixated on "being good" may give up when faced with challenging problems. By adopting a growth mindset, you can turn obstacles into stepping stones for improvement.

4. Balance promotion and prevention focus in goal pursuit

When you believe that your ability—any ability—can be grown and developed over time, you focus not so much on proving you are smart, but on cultivating your smartness.

Tailor your focus to the task. People tend to have either a promotion focus (seeking gains and achievements) or a prevention focus (avoiding losses and staying safe). Both approaches have strengths and weaknesses:

Promotion focus:

• Best for: Creativity, speed, seizing opportunities
• Motivates through: Eagerness, optimism
• Struggles with: Accuracy, patience

Prevention focus:

• Best for: Accuracy, safety, resisting temptation
• Motivates through: Vigilance, caution
• Struggles with: Risk-taking, innovation

Match your focus to the situation. Use a promotion focus when you need creativity or quick action, and a prevention focus when accuracy or safety is paramount. Being aware of your natural tendency allows you to consciously shift your approach when needed.

5. Harness the power of unconscious goal activation

Walking past the gym can trigger the goal of wanting to work out. A plate of fruits and vegetables can trigger the goal of eating healthy.

Environment shapes behavior. Our goals are often activated unconsciously by cues in our environment. This powerful phenomenon can be leveraged to support goal achievement:

• Surround yourself with goal-related cues (e.g., keep running shoes visible)
• Use positive role models to "catch" motivation
• Be mindful of potentially demotivating influences

Creating an environment rich in positive goal cues can help you:

• Remember your goals more easily
• Stay motivated without conscious effort
• Overcome moments of weakness or distraction

By strategically designing your surroundings, you can make goal pursuit easier and more automatic.

6. Use if-then planning to overcome obstacles and seize opportunities

Making a plan creates a link between the situation or cue (the if ) and the behavior that should follow (the then).

Specific plans boost follow-through. If-then planning is a powerful technique for overcoming common goal obstacles:

1. Identify potential challenges or opportunities
2. Create specific if-then plans: "If X happens, then I will do Y"

Benefits of if-then planning:

• Automatic goal activation in relevant situations
• Reduced need for willpower and conscious decision-making
• Increased likelihood of taking action

Examples:

• "If it's 7 pm, then I will go for a 30-minute walk."
• "If I feel the urge to snack, then I will drink a glass of water first."

This simple yet effective strategy helps bridge the gap between intentions and actions, significantly increasing your chances of goal success.

7. Strengthen self-control through regular practice and recovery

Self-control operates, at least in part, through blood glucose.

Self-control is like a muscle. It can be strengthened through regular exercise and depletes with use. To build and maintain your self-control:

1. Practice self-control regularly:

2. Allow for recovery:

3. Use strategies to conserve self-control:

4. Boost depleted self-control:

By treating self-control as a trainable skill, you can develop greater capacity to resist temptations and stay focused on your goals.

8. Cultivate realistic optimism while preparing for challenges

The difference between unrealistic optimism, which is usually unproductive and sometimes dangerous, and realistic optimism, which is critical for achieving many of our goals, lies in why you are optimistic.

Balance confidence with preparation. Optimism is generally beneficial for goal pursuit, but it must be grounded in reality to be effective. Cultivate realistic optimism by:

1. Focusing on controllable factors:

2. Acknowledging potential obstacles:

3. Visualizing the process, not just the outcome:

4. Learning from setbacks:

By combining a positive outlook with practical preparation, you can maintain motivation while effectively navigating challenges.

9. Develop grit by focusing on effort and progress, not just ability

Failures that are caused solely by a totally unchangeable ability are quite rare.

Persistence trumps talent. Grit—the combination of passion and perseverance—is a key predictor of long-term success. To develop grit:

1. Embrace a growth mindset:

2. Focus on progress, not just performance:

3. Attribute success and failure to effort and strategy:

4. Cultivate intrinsic motivation:

By shifting focus from innate talent to effort and growth, you can develop the resilience needed to overcome obstacles and achieve long-term goals.

10. Give effective feedback that emphasizes controllable behaviors

Don't praise hard work when there wasn't any, and don't praise high ability when someone is just learning—you aren't fooling anyone, and it will be experienced as more embarrassing than motivating.

Feedback shapes future performance. When giving feedback, focus on specific, controllable behaviors to maximize motivation and improvement:

Do:

• Be specific about what was done well or needs improvement
• Emphasize effort, strategy, and persistence
• Provide actionable suggestions for improvement
• Maintain sincerity and avoid excessive praise

Don't:

• Attribute success or failure solely to innate ability
• Give vague or general feedback
• Praise for minor achievements
• Contradict verbal praise with nonverbal cues

By giving feedback that reinforces the connection between effort and outcomes, you can foster a growth mindset and resilience in others, leading to sustained motivation and improved performance.

Last updated: January 24, 2025

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