Why you love setting goals more than pursuing them, according to science
Life crafting is a way to renew meaning and proactively create the future we want for ourselves and our families. Here’s what goes down in your noggin when you set out to do something awesome-and why it matters.“Life crafting” is a buzzphrase that proposes a new buzzphrase, “life crafting,” as a way of renew meaning.
Why you’re so goals-obsessed
Stoicism and early 20th-century publications like Think And Grow Rich gave us fleeting tastes of positive psychology, but the self-help movement didn’t really take off until about 45 years ago
- Self-actualization soon became part of our lives, and millennials soon calibrated their ambitions from the belief system that you can be, do, or have anything you want in life
- We have goals and aspirations on the brain-it’s being shoved in our faces constantly
- So you set a goal and then you fixate on it
This is your brain on goals
The act of setting a goal releases the neurotransmitter dopamine and motivates you to take productive action.
- Dopamine bookends the goal-achieving experience, and its absence during the middle phase-which is where you take all the life-changing action-leaves you less motivated.
How to maximize your chances of success
Normalize slow, steady progress
- Prioritize behaviors over benchmarks
- Put yourself on the hook
- Seek out containers that keep you inspired and accountable
- Anticipate challenges along the way and you’ll have an easier time converting dreams into reality