PL 101: Systems vs. Goals (Discussion 4)
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Hello Leadership Crew!
Welcome to our 4th discussion in this first course. In todays 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 wouldnt integrate all of these new healthy eating behaviors at once. Instead, youd 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 itll be the byproduct of eating healthy.
Another example might be education. I dont really care all that much about grades for my kids. I mostly want them to learn and enjoy learning. We talk about what they learn, we draw things, they make their own educational videos, they explain things to me in their own words etc. I want them to have a system of learning and refining their perspective on things. If they have this system, then having good grades will be a natural result of enjoying learning.
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. Or, zooming back, think about this leadership development program. We could have an arbitrary goal of training a certain number of new leaders to serve our community; or we can co-create a system - this leadership development program - that helps people become leaders. The natural consequence of the program will be a higher number of trained, competent, and strong leaders that can better support our community. Â
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?
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@GlenM
1. What is a key system that you need to set up in your life to help you succeed?
To not undermine my achievements in life. I think I do that a lot and it really demotivates me. I find it hard to compliment myself but I must do it every now and then, as that is its own form of giving yourself self-confidence.
2. What are 3 behaviors you can implement to help you gradually grow that new system in your life?
- Give myself strong affirmations morning and night
- Share my achievements with those that care about me
- Write down each and every achievement and why it is a good thing that that happened
1. What is a key system that you need to set up in your life to help you succeed?
I need to make a schedule to achieve my dreams.
2. What are 3 behaviors you can implement to help you gradually grow that new system in your life?
- Dodging away Negativity
- Sticking with a planner to achieve my dreams.
- Believe others when they tell me I will succeed.
@GlenM wow! i learned a valuable lesson today. i have never looked at it that way. having a system vs having a goal. its more about the journey/process not so much the destination.
I think that a key system that I need to set up in my life in order to succeed is that of daily practice to improve my musicianship, my academics, and my exercise goals.
3 behaviors that I can implement in order to grow into this system are:
1. Setting alarms at convenient times in order to remind me to start my daily activities.
2. Using a checklist system in order to help motivate me.
3. Taking time to appreciate my progress and every step I make towards meeting goals through my system.
@Dinohorus I love checklists, it helps me break things down into smaller parts and feel more accomplishments as I'm checking things off, instead of only feeling accomplished when it's entirely done
Wow! I never thought of my goals in this way, this was an incredibly insightful lesson!
What is a key system that you need to set up in your life to help you succeed?
I need a good system for spending quality time on 7Cups fulfilling the roles that I have committed myself to. I used to simply think about completing the hours needed, and taking things one step at a time, but now I'm really beginning to see how important having a good system in place really is!
What are 3 behaviors you can implement to help you gradually grow that new system in your life?
1. I can set a time when I focus on cups tasks every day or week. For now, during the holiday period, that would probably be from 9 to 11am. If I'm free outside of this timing, then I can also come and hang out on my member account, or spend time responding to more general requests.
2. I can focus on having a routine in going about my tasks. First, I'll respond to any messages I received while I was offline. Next, I'll respond to a few forum posts. Then, I'll accept a general request, maybe two if I have time. Finally, I'll work on my leadership development program courses.
3. I can set boundaries for my time here when I'm chatting with members. Sometimes, I get tired easily after long chats. Hence, I can start setting a time to leave at the start of the chat, and let the member know. I can then leave at the set timing, and havetime for the rest of my tasks
What is a key system that you need to set up in your life to help you succeed?
To be healthy (eat healthily and exercise) and to know my limit when it comes to food.
What are 3 behaviours you can implement to help you gradually grow that new system in your life?
1) I could start by setting aside an hour every day for exercise
2) Walking every hour (to get some exercise!)
3) Limiting (not eliminating) the deserts I eat after a meal
@GlenM in order to succed, I need to have consistency in my systems and to remind myself to not easily give up on my goals. The three things are:
1) I need to improve my focus since I'm easily distracted by the environment and my own thoughts.
2)I need to do my best in achieving my goals and improving my systems so that I'll get the best the best outcomes as possible. In results, I'll be satisfied with my works.
3) I need to get myself in relaxing time. It'll stress me out if I'm not fully prepared to implement my systems.
@kdsyahirah
Those are amazing concrete behaviors I would like to implement as well! All the luck to you and your journey 🥰
A system I need to help me succeed is to balance my scholarly pursuits and my exercise/physical well-being.
I can exercise for an hour each day, use the pomodoro technique for my studying, and sort out my activities into what I'm passionate about and what I'm not passionate about (and only keep the ones I am passionate about).
@GlenM
What is a key system that you need to set up in your life to help you succeed?
I feel that I am losing track of time these days. Therefore, I would like to work on time management. If it is managed wisely, we can achieve everything that we have set a goal for but if we cannot manage time appropriately, it can lead to burnout & also chaos.
What are 3 behaviors you can implement to help you gradually grow that new system in your life?
1) Being Positive: I have never gone wrong with this one in my entire life. So, I plan to continue being a positive person and spread my positive vibes amongst people. Also, I would like to keep a balance between being positive and carrying out the task by my action. Because if I am being positive without action, it is not gonna benefit me at all.
2) Self-Confidence: I believe this is the essence of every possible work field. The more demanding the job, the more you need to be confident about yourself. In my opinion, I am already a confident person but working on it even further would increase my ability to work enthusiastically towards the new system in my life.
3) Setting Boundaries:
As I said earlier that I would like to work on time management, I feel that setting boundaries would help me achieve it in a better manner. If you ask me, time management & setting boundaries go hand in hand. As it involves prioritizing tasks, it will allow me to manage my time healthily. I have already faced burnout due to poor boundary settings as I prioritized unimportant stuff limitlessly & neglected the important ones. Anyway, I have learned my lesson and I am ready to work on my weaknesses.
Thank you for reading. ❤
-lyricalAngel70
@lyricalAngel70 oh I feel this one so much, I think it's a great plan to have, I probably need to work on these exact same areas too! It's become so easy to somehow lose a whole day, and start building up negativity... purposely choosing to work on those areas is a great idea :)
@TaranWanderer
Hey Taran, thanks for stopping by and reading my reply. I am glad to hear that even you have the same set of goals as that mine. I wish you all the best! (^_^)
Take Care & Stay Safe.
-lyricalAngel70
Key system I'm going to implement from now on is to do exactly what my heart desires so I can be my best authentic self.
3 behaviors that will help guide me to my success of being unapologetically myself is:
1. Note all my successes, and continue being those positive attributes such as being thankful to every person I see, even if it was a negative interaction, I got to be in a new situation! So in general, just be appreciative and remind myself of my strengths is behavior #1
2. To dress how I want to dress requires I have a neat wardrobe! So organizing my wardrobe to exactly fit my needs by having a daily routine of tidying by dresser top is important.
3. Don't second guess myself; if i want to say a joke to my co worker or customer, just say it! Bring laughter to everyone by just letting my true open self appear. The behavior of not tensing up, and instead just understanding that all moments pass, is #3.
@Skyy0 P.S. my key take aways from the vid: Set a destination (which is being more accepting of my self and show it to the world); ask questions on how to get there (does affirmations work? What is the best style I feel most comfortable in?), apply the answer (yes, I've been doing affirmations for a week and I feel lighter and more confident, as well as less lonely because it's like the affirmation cards by Louise, or my therapst is talking to me 
) re-adjust if needed (cleaning daily is so hard to keep on top of. Let's make sure I do my laundry every friday.)
