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
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 is making sure I don't spiral into negativity so much that it affects my ability to complete my tasks.
3 behaviours to get there:
1. Take note of the music I'm listening to, make sure they aren't too sad
2. Go out more often, even if it's just for a walk
3. Be more conscientious of my thought patterns, catch myself when I feel I'm indulging too much
@Elise849
I like your answers Elise. It's nice to be taking this course along side you.
@Elise849
I love those examples of how to get out of thought spirals, that's amazing! 💜
@Elise849
It sounds like you've got some great ideas on how to build your new system Elise! Getting outside has a big impact on my mindset too :)
@GlenM
This was such a good read !! I'm actually buying the atomic habits book tomorrow and I'm going to read it because it resonates so much with the things I want to be feeding my mind !
1/ so a key system I need to set up to succeed in anything in life would be discipline in anything really . I'm a highly driven person and I have things I aspire to and motivations but I tend to start strong and enthusiastic but motivation is the way to get me started , however I need discipline to keep me going which is what I want to implement in every aspect of my life .
2/
First I want to practice gratitude daily
Second i want to wake up early every day
And third i want to read more books
@victoriousVoice21
I think those are some great practices to put in place :)
@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'm looking to be more active in my own decisions. I think I tend to take other people's opinions and adapt them as my own. Instead I would like to use my own ideas to add to or improve on an idea. I think by empathizing, being supportive, and caring I can help to improve the lives of those around me.
@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 have found that having a checklist set up to make sure that you reach all the goals required in a step-by-step fashion is a good system.
I like the idea of the paths that are used in
7cups. I plan to create different paths to help people achieve their mental
health, physical health and motivational goals using paths.
I think that many people set out to achieve goals
and get discouraged because they are too big and they have no idea how to
complete them. I believe that breaking them up into small goals is the best way
to overcome this, and having the goals listed ready for checking could be a
good way to get this done.
I would like to learn computer coding. A new system for me is to work on coding each day for about an hour. Three things that I need to do are: (1) get everything ready the night before so that nothing will distract me or hold me back, (2) get up one hour earlier than usual so that I can use that time to study; and, (3) get a checklist ready so that I can mark off concepts as I go to keep me motivated.
@GoldenNest2727
I really hope that will work for you and for you to long term success with coding. Best of luck.
@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?
What I would say is quality over quantity , I know when I first started as a listener I was taking on so many roles and feeling overwhelmed, to the point I hated using this website, but after an extended break I have returned, and I'm aware of my limitations, I know what I want to get from the website and what I can give, by dropping out the roles that I felt weren't in line of my goals, I am able to tailor my time to doing what I do best.
@GlenM
Those were some really good resources, I enjoyed going through the topic a lot and I agree. We are way too often running after goals and missing all the opportunities and also simply the joy that can come with it naturally. So let's get to your questions!
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 can think of two things where I am running behind a goal and losing my path in it sometimes, one in my outside the Cupsland life, and one inside.
Outside Cupsland Issue:
I have wanted to study psychology since I learned to know that it exists. I used to read all sorts of books about it, even watch videos and visited online seminars to educate myself more about it, simply because I like to learn more about it.
And now that I got the opportunity to study it at a university, all I can think about is getting the good grades so that I can move on. But I lost my passion while I was chasing those grades.
So how can I find a system that brings back the joy?
I think one huge factor always is the money. I want to change my job, as it is not something I enjoy. I now got an offer for a much more social job with teens and young adults, and I think I would really enjoy that. I wouldn't have a goal there, I would just get to know the work that I would be doing after university, and I would be helping people which is something I really, truly enjoy.
Next up is my motivation. I am not quite sure why it dropped, because I love what I am studying, but I want to find a way to get that motivation back again. Maybe I can take more breaks or do more things that aren't focused on cognitive thinking so much. Or maybe my next point is all that I need.
I already mentioned it. It's that "grade-hunting". Yes sure, I want good grades, I will need them, but as the article as well as the video said, as long as I find joy in studying it, good grades will come along naturally.
Inside Cupsland Issue:
I am in a couple of leadership roles and when I log into Cups the first day of the month I can always see that quota that I need to reach to stay in my roles. And that is a good system, no doubt, but somehow I feel like I need to reach that quota in the first two days of the month. So I am way too active, supporting people when maybe I really just would need a break. So what can I do?
I think there are many things I can do. I love my roles and I am active on cups daily, so there is really no need to put pressure on myself for something like that.
So the first thing I want to do is realizing that I have 28-31 days to meet that quota. And it's not even a high quota.
The next thing I want to do is communication. Should I ever not feel up for something, maybe I need a self-care break now and then, I can always communicate that with the leaders. It won't be a problem, I know that. Maybe I will loose a badge, I'll reapply, that would be fine. As long as I keep in contact with those listeners, I really don't need to stress myself out because of that.
And now the last and most important thing. I love my leadership roles, my whole heart is in them. So I want to enjoy them. I don't want to think about a quota that I would fill naturally, when I can just live my best Cupslife. So I think that is what I am going to do.
Thank you for reading this you awesome human being. I appreciate you a lot, I really do. 💛
@GlenM
I think that it is vital for me to build a system of time-management. It might somes cliche but there was just too much I want to do and I did not know which to do first.
The three behaviors would be drawing up a list of daily work, set deadlines, and writing down new ideas everyday so that they won't distract me.
@GlenM
What is a key system that you need to set up in your life to help you succeed?
I tend to loose focus by juggling myself with too many roles because I often have this mindset that "i can do it all" so I have learned that it's important to take a back seat to self reflect by taking a moment and asking myself "Am I doing this role just for the sake of it? Or do I really enjoy doing it? So, it's basically being aware/mindful of my ability to perform roles within my capability or the ones where I am naturally good at and prioritize those.
What are 3 behaviors you can implement to help you gradually grow that new system in your life?
Being mindful - Working on roles which I'm currently able to dedicate my time and effort on, prioritising those with my complete focus in order to learn and grow more.
Self reflection - Evaluate my thoughts process and emotions from time to time to understand my purpose and potential , making sure I'm on the right track by pursuing something with a purpose of long term fulfilment.
Practising self care - Taking time out for myself by doing things that I love to avoid burning out. This can be in the form of indulging myself by having a delicious and hearty meal, taking long nap , and even working out! It helps me to stay energised and vibrant.
@Harsvin
Those are 3 really good steps on make things work role wise on cups. I know you will go Far on cups with that mind set.
@Goalsforlife
Thank you, I wish you all the best on your journey ❤
Get my leadership role journey back on track.
1 make a master plan on how I should go about getting roles and take time to. Come up with that plan.
2 research the roles I want to get and find out there requirements I need to reach before I can apply.
3 reach out to Ldp mentors