Course 1, Discussion 4: System vs Goals
Hello Leadership Crew!
Welcome to our 4th discussion in this first course. In today's discussion, we will be talking about systems vs. goals.
To start, please read this post here and watch this video.
The basic argument here is that having a system is better than having a goal. A system is a way of behaving that helps you move towards accomplishing something. A goal is usually and end state that happens after you have accomplished something. I think eating healthy is a good example. A goal might be to lose 10 pounds. In this case, you feel kind of bad about yourself until you hit that goal; and then, once you hit it, you kind of lose the purpose because the goal has been reached. If you relapse and gain wait again, then you fall back into feeling bad about yourself again. Contrast this with a system of eating healthy.
A system might include things like: having a big glass of water prior to each meal; eating a lot of fruits, vegetables, and nuts; not eating after 9pm; and/or doing some level of intermittent fasting. You wouldn't integrate all of these new healthy eating behaviors at once. Instead, you'd gradually introduce one and then another and then another over whatever period of time makes sense. The system enables you to continuously get healthier and healthier. You will eventually reach the goal, but it'll be the byproduct of eating healthy.
This also has implications for 7 Cups as well. We might have goals of having a certain amount of group support messages or 1:1 messages. Those are fine goals to have, but we mostly want to create a system of support where people care for one another and then the natural result is an increased number of messages.
✒️ What is a key system that you need to set up in your life to help you succeed?
✒️ What are 3 behaviors you can implement to help you gradually grow that new system in your life?
✒️ Please reply to at least 1 of your peers in this thread with encouraging or supportive words!
❗After fulfilling the requirements of this post, please check out the next post here!
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I think I need to focus on consistency.
I'm currently following a healthy eating pattern and workouts. I already find it becoming a routine 😇. I want to keep that consistent.
I have to start vast reading regarding my profession on a daily basis. I know nothing else can bring me more knowledge. I have to set fixed time for upskilling myself.
I need to keep fixed time for my art and music interests. Only regular practice and learning can bring improvements.
@Hope
✒️ What is a key system that you need to set up in your life to help you succeed?
I need to keep taking lessons and lectures to foster my skills technically.
✒️ What are 3 behaviors you can implement to help you gradually grow that new system in your life?
I need to sleep early, not waste much time on distractions, and study what I take and not accumulate it.
@wonderousLove3994
This sounds like a really good plan! You've got this! 💪
@Hope
What is a key system that you need to set up in your life to help you succeed?
A key system I need to set up in my life is a healthy sleep schedule, eating schedule, and cleaning schedule. I have a lot of health issues, and recently, my schedules have been all over the place which has caused a lot of problems. Hospital stay, autoimmune disorder flareups, flareups from my other health issues.
What are 3 behaviors you can implement to help you gradually grow that new system in your life?
1 behavior I could start out implementing, would be going to bed at the same time every night and only sleeping for 8 hours. (sometimes oversleeping causes more problems than answers).
The second behavior I could implement, would be eating at the same times every day. Instead of eating one meal or maybe 2 some days, eating 3 small meals every day. It would help my health a lot to eat 3 meals instead of one. Also, drinking water is essential to my health. I don't drink nearly enough to be honest. It causes dizziness among other things. So drinking 1-2 bottles of water with each meal would be very beneficial.
The third behavior I could implement would be, every day after waking up, giving myself an hour to wake up, and then cleaning one thing or area in the house that needs to be cleaned. My house has been a mess recently because I haven't really had the energy to clean up.
@Hopewanted to take a moment to express my support and encouragement as you explore the question of what is a key system that you need to set up in your life to help you succeed. Self-care and taking time for yourself are indeed crucial tools for success, and I believe giving yourself more time to yourself can be an effective strategy for personal growth and achievement.
@Hope
What is a key system that you need to set up in your life to help you succeed?
I understand the basic principle of systems (long-term skills development) vs. concrete goal definition (achieve it and be done), and on the surface I really like it. I’m struggling a bit, though, with the semantics. Yes, it makes sense that losing 20 pounds is a concrete goal that is less useful in the long run than developing the skills that would help someone eat healthier. But doesn’t that make “eating healthier” the goal? Then the focus shifts to smaller things that become the “goals”. Like eating more vegetables one week. Adding fruits the next. Those are concrete things we can either see as such or not. We can achieve them or not. Those new goals become part of the original systems approach.
Perhaps it’s better to not think in terms of systems vs. goals, but rather about how we define goals and what we do with that. How realistic are the goals we set for ourselves? How do we think about them? Whatever skills we learn and employ to reach goals are still skills we might use for other things. Whatever experiences we have will ideally inform the skills we develop. Goals can simply be one tool that are part of that process.
Maybe we should be focusing on what we get caught up in, cognitively: what we get stuck on, how we define what we want, what we flog ourselves with, or the type of motivation we attempt to employ. I think goals can be very motivating (and a useful tool) when we use them in a way that truly works for us. If we allow ourselves the cognitive flexibility to adapt when necessary, to allow ourselves to do so, and to congratulate ourselves (rather than tell ourselves we are bad) for doing so, then positives can come out of that. I think that if we allow ourselves flexibility to change and adapt our goals to our current needs and circumstances (as Scott Adams did), it will better support our well-being.
Does that mean we need to think about our approach to life differently? Maybe. If it’s useful to think about things in terms of long-term skill development vs. more rigid and concrete goals, then that’s wonderful, and it’s a useful thing to know about oneself. It’s all about what works, in my opinion. Figuring out what works is the key.
Ha ha ha… so much to say to get to the actual question:
Assuming “success” is something self-defined, such as being happier, I’d like to increase my cognitive skill in acceptance (in particular, related to recent changes in my life circumstances).
What are 3 behaviors you can implement to help you gradually grow that new system in your life?
Make (or designate) time to practice skills I’m working on with my therapist – perhaps while I’m exercising, since I do that regularly.
Make sure that I maintain that motivation to exercise regularly and follow through
Regularly evaluate the way I am using my time in order to maintain good self-care
@JustSophia Nice to see your dedication!
@Hope
A key system I need to set up in my life to help me succeed. I need to get more exercise as my spine continues to heal from major lumbar surgery and removal of a piece of broken spinal bone. Three behaviors I can implement to help me grow this new system in my life are patience, persistence, and perseverance.
@Hope
Three key systems I need to set up in my life to help me succeed are to becoming less of a perfectionist, not allowing failure to stress and frustrate me, instead being ok with failure, and learning to "oosh" more while also learning to laugh and enjoy life more.
✒️ What is a key system that you need to set up in your life to help you succeed?
A better sleep schedule since without sleep you die and if you get too little you don't unlock your maximum potential.
✒️ What are 3 behaviors you can implement to help you gradually grow that new system in your life?
1. Sleep at the same time.
2. Have a period before sleep where i relax/read.
3. Wake up at the same time.
@TheOnlyChresser
Your post is awesome. I will implement this system in my life as well! Great system plan!
@Hope
A key system I need to set up in my life is to restore my physical health.
Three behaviors I can implement to help me gradually grow that new system are:
1. Fully recovering from my lumbar ALIF of the L5-S1 (screws and rods put into my spine) and removal of a broken spinal bone.
2. Faithfully doing my physical therapy each week. Also continue to get spinal injections to calm and help heal damaged nerves.
3. Have someone I am continually accountable to, in order to experience restored health.
