PART ONE: Get Ready
CHAPTER 1: Do You Know Where You Are Going?
Set specific, difficult goals. This is much more effective than "doing one's best" which can be quite vague and actually encourage mediocrity. Difficult, but possible, goals unconsciously increase effort, focus, and commitment to the goal. Performance will rise to the challenge.
It is helpful to think of both the why and the what when setting goals. Why thinking helps get us motivated and energized. What thinking helps to focus on practical details to achieve a difficult goal.
It is important to have the right kind of positive thinking. Successful people have confidence that they can eventually succeed, but they are equally confident that they will have a tough time getting there. People who know the road will be difficult tend to plan more, put in more effort, take more action in pursuit of the goal, and are more persistent. Feel the necessity to act!
CHAPTER 2: Do You Know Where Your Goals come From?
Book: Mindset by Carol Dweck
Too many Americans believe that if you have to work hard at something, you aren't good at it. In other words, effort compensates for lack of ability. It's important to have an incremental theory which means having the belief that any ability can be grown and developed and focusing on developing smartness rather than proving you are smart.
"Triggers" are critical. Plastering motivational posters all over can act as triggers. Also, things like walking into a gym can be a trigger for encouraging one to work out. There is such a thing as "goal contagion." Just seeing someone pursuing a goal can encourage a person to start pursuing it, too. Filling one's environment with cues for goals will help make your unconscious work for you.
PART TWO: Get Set
CHAPTER 3: The Goals That Keep You Moving Forward
Is your goal to be good or to get better?
To be good is a performance goal--show that you are smart, talented, capable, or to outperform others. Performance goals are an all or nothing. When the road gets tough, people with performance goals tend to feet they don't have what it takes.
To get better is a mastery goal--develop or enhance skills and abilities. Mastery goals focus on progress: Am I improving? Am I learning? These goals are all about the journey.
Those working on a mastery rather than performance goal tend to deal with difficulties better and are much more resilient. They tend to ask for the right kind of help when they need it.
CHAPTER 4: Goals for Optimists and Goals for Pessimists
Is your focus more on what you have to gain (promotion-minded)or more on what you have to lose (prevention-minded)? Optimism works if you are promotion-minded. A touch of pessimism works better when prevention-minded. Prevention-minded people are detailed people and have a more conservative bias. Both promotion and prevention can lead to success. It's just important to focus on the right strategies for each.
CHAPTER 5: Goals Can Make You Happy
Achieving a goal isn't everything--what you want and why you want it matter just as much in the long run.
Self-Determination Theory (Edward Deci and Richard Ryan): All human beings seek relatedness, competence, and autonomy. Therefore, your goals needs to be connected to at least one of these. Choices are important for autonomy so it's important to create a feeling of choice. Giving rewards and other incentives for goal achievement can actually backfire and destroy motivation.
CHAPTER 6: The Right Goal for You
Be-good goals when you want to demonstrate your ability.
Focus on why when you need motivation to get going.
Focus on what when a goal is difficult and you need to be specific about what you want to achieve.
Focus on promotion goals when you need speed.
Choose prevention goals when you need accuracy.
Promotion goals will fuel creativity.
It's best to focus on getting-better goals that are self-chosen.
Choose goals that satisfy your basic need for relatedness, competence, and autonomy rather than focusing too much on fame, prestige, and wealth.
CHAPTER 7: The Right Goals for Them
People are motivated to achieve a goal only when they feel it has value. Then give them a choice as to what goal they want and/or how to get there.
Choose the right cues and/or triggers. and use contagion goals.
PART THREE: Go
CHAPTER 8: Conquer the Goal Saboteurs
It is practically impossible to reach a goal when you don't have any sense of how well you are doing. Although external feedback can come, self-monitoring is absolutely essential. Therefore, it is important to check your progress regularly.
Focusing on execution--to actually do-- is essential for success. Grab onto opportunities to achieve a goal. Goals require protection from distractions and obstacles.
CHAPTER 9: Make A Simple Plan
Make a plan for how you will achieve your goal. An effective plan is one that spells out exactly and specifically what will be done, and where, and how. Also, think about how obstacles will be addressed using and if-then plan.
CHAPTER 10: Build the Self-Control Muscle
Give your self-control a regular workout so it can grow stronger and stronger. Yet, it is also important to periodically give the self-control muscle a rest. Good moods tend to enhance self-control so give yourself needed pick me-ups. Don't tempt fate when it comes to self-control.
CHAPTER 11: Keep It Real
High achievers, without exception, need to work hard and plan well to accomplish their goals.
Some optimism is good but it can be dangerous if it causes you to not think through things carefully. In other words, realistic optimism is what you want. Realistic optimism is believing you will succeed because you will make success happen by putting in the effort, staying motivated, and using the right strategies. Visualize the steps you will take in order to succeed.
CHAPTER 12: Know When to Hang On
Don't give up on goals too soon or for the wrong reasons.
Grit is a combination of both long-term commitment and persistence. One can learn to have grit. You can increase your grit by choosing the right goals.
Blame your effort, not your ability.
Sugo haseyo: A Korean phrase used to congratulate someone which literally means "work hard." Asian children are explicitly taught that hard work and persistence are the keys to success. [See article at http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-science-success/201009/its-not-how-often-you-test-its-what-you-think-tests-tell-you]
It's perfectly ok to walk away from a goal when the costs seem too great.
CHAPTER 13: Give the Right Feedback
Speak the truth. Taking responsibility for failures will empowers others to do things differently in the future.
When Things Go Right--Praise what they do, not what they are
- Rule #1: Sincere praise that is specific
- Rule #2: Emphasize behaviors that under the recipient's control
- Rule #3: Emphasize personal mastery rather than competition
- Rule #4: Don't undermine the recipient's autonomy with such things as rewards
- Rule #5: Praise needs to always convey attainable standards and expectations
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