By Lincoln Li, Flemingdon Park | Outreach Worker
Take a look at the video that’s linked below:
How to Achieve Your Most Ambitious Goals | Stephen Duneier | TEDxTucson
The video has a very eye-catching title. Naturally, it draws us in because there are always things we set out to do (big or small) and we want to accomplish them one way or another. Goals. We all have some sense of them. We make them all the time. We want to get into this career, attain a certain amount of wealth or success, look a certain way etc. It could be smaller things like being more on time when meeting up with people. It could be in the form of telling yourself every single New Years’ Eve. You tell yourself, “This year will be different! I’m going to exercise more. I will do a Reading Challenge. I will (fill in the blank)” As you brainstorm that list, you post it on Instagram or Facebook hoping that your friends will see how awesome you are and that they will keep you accountable for them.
But chances are, most people won’t make it through the list. Some might not even get past the first item on that list. With a heavy heart and with shame, I will admit I am that person.
Why is it like that? Why is it so tough to meet the goals we set for ourselves? Maybe for me, it’s because I am a professional procrastinator. Focusing is hard sometimes. But why do I procrastinate? Maybe it’s because I get easily distracted and sidetracked. There’s a never-ending supply of content from Youtube that is clearly more interesting than exercising more. (Here is one such video).
There’s one more reason and the TED talk sheds a bit of light on this. Maybe it’s because the goal we set for ourselves is too large to tackle and you don’t know where to begin. All right then, time to map it out and break down this goal into small chunks of achievable tasks.
Here’s an example. I have a goal of completing reading the Bible in a year. I found a reading plan that helps me break down the chapters I have to read each day and I can check off the stuff as I go along. Not a bad start. Now it should be smooth sailing as long as I stick to the plan right? Not exactly. Let’s just say some days are easier than others and it’s easy to fall behind due to a number of things like tiredness, motivation, or quantity of text to read.
The speaker talks about a ‘marginal adjustment’. Something even smaller than that. It’s not about completing what I have to read that day. It’s not even about finishing that one chapter, one sentence, or one word. It’s about making a series of conscious decisions before getting to read that first word. It means making that conscious decision to put down my phone and turn off the computer. Next is then making the conscious decision to pop open that Bible and turn to the page. Now finally, begin with one word. And the next. And the next. If I can only focus for 10 min then that’s fine. I’ll do something else for a couple of minutes and then come back to it for another 10 min. The key is to know what that marginal adjustment is.
Lastly, thinking of the reason why you want to achieve this goal gives you self- motivation. Why do I want to read the Bible in a year? Because I want to:
Seek after God’s truth and promises with my own two eyes
Know more about the contents of the Bible
Build a solid foundation and a deeper relationship with God
What’s a goal you want to achieve? Why do you want to achieve it? What is a marginal adjustment you can make? It’s not easy at all and you need to put in a conscious effort with those little decisions. But those little decisions add up. One small thing leads to another small thing and that in short, is what we all desire. Progress. I wish you all the best of luck and feel free to share some of the goals you want to achieve!