I get a kick out of this pic...
I’ve always had a problem with setting goals. While I agree with the aspect of setting and achieving goals as a way of personal achievement and fulfillment, I dislike the term ‘goal’; it’s a terminal term. When I was younger, I played a lot of soccer, and it was a blast. I was on a team with a bunch of my friends, and we had one common ‘goal’; win the game. In order to do this, our team had to successfully kick the soccer ball into the back of the opposing team’s goal, while preventing the other team from doing the same. If (after 90 minutes) we won the game, we celebrated the victory. If we lost the game, we would make sure that we were ‘better prepared’ to handle the next game in order to achieve the goal…
Question: Is the goal simply to win the game? Or, is the goal to improve the process in order to increase the probability of winning the game? Which angle would lead to more disappointment if the game was lost?
For example, if someone is looking to lose 40 pounds , should the goal simply be the number of pounds lost, or on changing behavior (process) so that the scale will eventually show X minus 40 pounds? If the focus is on the scale as opposed to the process, that person might be inclined to put too much emphasis on the numbers, which could lead to disappointment (depending on how he/she handles the scale’s news). However, if his/her goal is to improve the process (i.e. diet, exercise, etc.), the scale becomes a measure of a sustainable process improvement rather than a terminal outcome (goal) of losing a specified amount of weight.
Ultimately, weight loss goals shouldn’t even revolve around a number on a scale. It should revolve around creating positive habits, ceasing the negative ones, and having a positive attitude toward the process (this goes for other goals as well). Creating a process, measuring said process improvements, and sticking with any process that enables a happy, healthy life will undoubtedly lead to… well… a happy, healthy life. What more could anyone ask for?
Do you agree? Please share your experiences; I’m here to learn! 
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