I recently read an inspiring book my son gave me called The Miracle Equation by Hal Elrod.
He reminded me of something that I had forgotten: the real purpose of setting goals.
Hal Elrod writes, “Reaching a goal, as in a tangible result, is not the ultimate purpose, nor is it the most significant benefit, of setting a goal…. whether or not you reach a goal is inconsequential to the true purpose of your goal’s endgame.”
What???
I thought the purpose of setting a goal was to achieve a specific result. In fact, growing up, if I didn’t reach a goal I had set, I thought that I had failed. And, I regret to say that sometimes I didn’t try new things because of that fear of failing to reach the goal.
He continues,
“The real purpose of every goal you set is to become the type of person who can consistently set and achieve significant goals. In other words, the purpose of a goal is to develop the qualities and characteristics of a goal achiever. It is who you become through the process that will serve you for the rest of your life and trumps any short-lived achievement.”
Hmmm,
“Each goal is simply an opportunity to develop yourself and to test what is actually possible. And the more we do this, the better we become at it.”
He repeats the idea by quoting Jim Rohn:
“The purpose of setting a goal is not to hit the goal. The real purpose of setting a goal is to develop yourself into the type of person who can achieve your goals, regardless of whether you hit any particular one of not. Some goals you’ll reach, and some you won’t. It is who you become by giving it everything you have until the last moment – regardless of your results – that enables you to develop the mindset and behaviors that will help you achieve bigger and bigger goals for the rest of your life.”
I then remembered that my daughter had demonstrated this idea years ago when she joined the cross-country team during her junior year in high school. I was surprised! She wasn’t a runner! I was concerned that she wouldn’t have a very good experience. How could she compare to those who had been running for years?
It turns out she was wiser than I was in understanding the purpose of goals.
She had set a personal goal to try something new and to see how much she could improve.
It wasn’t about being the best. It was about being her best!
She already understood that there was more to goal-setting than reaching a set goal.
She understood that more important than any specific achievement was who she was becoming in the process.
With love,
This reminds me of, “It does not matter if you win or lose, it’s how you play the game.”
Definitely! ? Great reminder!
Yes, that’s one of my favorite parts of the book! We can’t hit every single goal we make, and a missed goal isn’t a failure, it’s a learning experience for your next goal.
Yes! Understanding that each experience is for our growth has such a better energy around it! Thanks for the book Jacob! ?