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
One key system that I need to set up for success is a study plan that will improve my grades in high school, which will thus allow me to get into the college of my dreams. To gradually incorporate that new system into my life, I should designate several different hours per day to study for upcoming exams, make sure that I have a private area in my house where I could study uninterrupted, and divide up the study material for each day before the exam date so that I don't get overwhelmed with the material.
One key system that I need to set up for success is a study plan that will improve my grades in high school, which will thus allow me to get into the college of my dreams. To gradually incorporate that new system into my life, I should designate several different hours per day to study for upcoming exams, make sure that I have a private area in my house where I could study uninterrupted, and divide up the study material for each day before the exam date so that I don't get overwhelmed with the material.
@Nerdtastic01
I really hope you achieve what you want to. Just never give up!
@GlenM
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?
I need to set up a key system of loving myself to succeed. This is really important because I start blaming myself for everything whenever someone gets offended by me. I become so harsh on myself that I just lose my inner self completely. Hence, I want to set this system in my life. To grow this new system in my life, I will practice saying positive affirmations to myself daily. I will be kind to myself no matter what happens. Lastly, I will do journaling daily to understand myself well.
@caringHope1976
Hi Hope!
Caring for yourself and practicing self love is so important, and I really hope setting up a system like this enables you to do that more. It sounds like you're pretty hard on yourself, but journaling, positive affirmations and being kind to yourself all are great steps to take to form your system.
Good luck with achieving everything you want to <3
@GlenM
I have never heard of system setting before, but this is probably the most useful thing anyone could have ever taught me for someone as ambitious as myself. I find I often set goals, with no real idea of how I will achieve them, so I just end up doing what I think I need to do to reach that specific goal rather than refine my skills so that the goal is attained naturally.
I think the most important key system I need to set up for myself is the management of time so that I can have more time to focus on things that really matter.
1. Make a loose schedule for daily needs
2. Write down the tasks I need to complete tomorrow for better preparing the next day
3. Set up a downtime activity before bed to reduce stress and get better sleep
This way, I can be more productive rather than having the goal of working for a certain amount of time every day.
@LavenderFlower
Hi Lav!
I agree, the idea of using systems is really helpful, and hopefully it will make it a lot more enjoyable working towards your goals :)
Time management is so important, and it sounds like you have a great system for improving it! It's a great idea to ensure you have boundaries for downtime/relaxing as well.
I hope you're able to achieve everything you want to <3
@LavenderFlower
Being consistent and managing your day to day tasks will help you in the long run and allow you to naturally feel determined and motivated. Good luck 😄
What is a key system that you need to set up in your life to help you succeed?
One key system that I really want to improve on is my ability to communicate with people and put myself out there, so I can succeed more in the ideas I want to develop, and grow deeper connections with people.
What are 3 behaviors you can implement to help you gradually grow that new system in your life?
- Initiating conversations with people - I want to be able to reach out to people more rather than waiting for them to start talking with me, as this could really help me gain confidence and make connections with new people. To do this I could aspire to say hello to one new person a week and build up the amount I say over time gradually.
- When I am more comfortable with starting conversations, I want to be able to continue them and develop my skills in maintaining a conversation. To do this I could think about questions I would like to be asked, or that I want to ask to a certain person, and then try to gradually learn more about people and their interests.
- The last step to be able to put myself out there more would be talking in front of a group of people. I know I can do this online already, but doing it in person would be a big challenge. To do this I could prepare lots and practice beforehand, and start talking with smaller groups and build up to larger ones until I am more comfortable talking with a large range of people.
@Izzy274
These are great ways to start conversations with others and as well as making yourself feel comfortable in opening up in a small group or a large group of people. Good luck 😊
@GlenM
Hello everyone 👋👋
What is a key system that you need to set up in your life to help you succeed?
Having a positive outlook or lifestyle, including self-care, self-love, focusing on my behaviour towards whatever I wish to attain.
What are 3 behaviours you can implement to help you gradually grow that new system in your life?
- Practising gratitude, mindfulness, self-care activities.
- Creating a to-do list on a daily basis.
- Opening myself up to new adventurers and social events that are positive and helps me to grow confidence.
@GlenM
My goal in mind is to get into this particular program offered at my university. However, with this discussion in mind, I will focus more on the system I will need to set up and follow, which will help me not only get into the program, but also when I apply for certain programs in grad school.
A key system I need to set up in order for me to get into this program is making sure that I stay on track with my homework, assignments, and studying. I will also make sure that I attend all my lectures and tutorials this year. Creating a study schedule will ensure that I get all my assignments done and preparations for upcoming tests. However, this alone is not sufficient. Since I have a tendency to get distracted (in my case, mainly through internal distractions such as worrying about the future), I need to focus on proper time-management, as well as keeping focused on one task at a time and avoid multitasking. My issue with distractions may also be due to the fact that I might possibly be suffering from anxiety, so seeking health professions offered at my school, as well as working on relaxation techniques in my spare time would help. In addition, I should prioritize self-care this school year, by making sure I eat right, exercise on a regular basis, spending time with close friends, and having time to relax. That way, I don’t end up being burned out from too much stress. Finally, since I developed severe depression during quarantine (I’ve been recently diagnosed by my psychologist) of last school year, I should seek treatment this year to help me overcome not only my anxiety, but also my depression as well. That way I will have enough energy and motivation to work through the school year.
In conclusion, as discussed in this discussion, I MUST adopt a proper system rather than focusing on my goals, which I’ll admit is something I’ve always been doing, hence why I struggle to accomplish my goals in the past. 3 behaviours I can implement to help me gradually grow this new system into my life is 1) FOCUS on the task at hand. That means no checking on my phone, no daydreaming or worrying about the future, and stop getting distracted by other external factors while working online (e.g. stop searching things up, etc.). I will also 2)STOP multitasking. This is related to my issue with focusing in school. By only focusing on one task at a time, I end up doing really well in this one task, and thus allowing me to move on to another and then another, until eventually I finish everything for the day. Finally, I will 3) implement BREAKS in between study sessions. That way, I am able to stay focused and productive throughout the day and thus finish all my work.
@GlenM
What is a key system that you need to set up in your life to help you succeed?
The system that I need to set up in my life to help me succeed is to take care of my mental health, eat healthily, and actually listen to my body and mind requirements in order to grow into a healthy individual.
What are 3 behaviors you can implement to help you gradually grow that new system in your life?
Ans: 1. Take proper meals in time without skipping a single one, especially breakfast.
2. Work on my sleep schedule.
3. Exercise, take my medicines, visit my therapist periodically, etc.
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?
A key system I need to set up in my life is to have a more positive outlook and give importance to myself and sometimes prioritize myself first. I often tend to put others first even and sometimes it's okay to prioritize oneself.
1. To practice gratitude and the positives that I have in life.
2. To have a to-do list and also practice self love.
3. Be more compassionate and empathetic to myself and others.
@GlenM
I can relate to you