We all have big and small goals that we want to achieve in our life. But what makes some people more successful than others? Apart from simply setting goals, they build habits that enable attaining those goals. While goals can provide direction, eventually a well-designed system of habits is what will take you to the finish line.
Understanding the Fundamentals: Habits and Goals
Habits vs goals, which is better? Either one of them is not enough. Goals and habits work together to help you achieve success. Understanding this is what differentiated the winners.
Defining Habits and Their Characteristics
A habit is something that you do regularly that barely requires any attention. It is built into your subconscious.
Author James Clear writes, “Your life today is essentially a sum of your habits.”
Exploring the Nature and Components of Goals
Simply put, a goal is an aim or a desired result. However, while setting goals focus on making them SMART. The five components of goal setting are:
S- Specific
M- Measurable
A- Achievable
R- Realistic
T- Time-bound
While you are setting goals and making them SMART, also pay attention to these characteristics of a great goal:
- Start small. This will help break the inertia and in achieving a goal.
- Your goals should be challenging enough to inspire motivation.
- The goals must be focused and not all over the place.
- You need to revisit and adapt the goals as required throughout the year.
Efficient goal setting is what separates winners from losers.
Differentiating Habits and Goals
Can you choose between the two, habits and goals? No! Because you need both to be successful in life. Goals will give you an outcome to work towards. They are important to motivate you and push you forward.
Through habits, you can build the required behavior to achieve success. Through habits you can build a system and a daily routine which will enable you to accomplish goals.
For instance, let’s say your goal is to write a book in 6 months. As a goal, it sounds overwhelming. But when you build a habit to write for 30 minutes every night, you might reach your goal even sooner!
The main difference between habits and goals is that goals will tell you where you want to go and habits will take you there.
The Dynamic Duo: Complementary Roles of Habits and Goals
Unveiling the Unique Contributions of Habits and Goals
The purpose of setting goals is to win. And winning can be very different to each one of us. You create goals based on your values and desires. Goals are your destination. But goals do not define how to get there. Setting goals and start building habits is the key to success.
Charles Duhigg, the author of The Power of Habit, says, “Habits are delicate but powerful.” Creating positive habits is all about taking a systematic approach to life.
We develop a lot of habits based on external stimuli, but this process can also be used consciously to improve our lives. Building habits is like setting up systems that will help you reach your goals.
The benefit of a systematic approach is that the system always wins. When you have positive long-term habits, you have consistency. Consistency gives results.
Assessing Your Growth Landscape
As we said earlier, goals are very personal. They depend on an individual’s values and preferences. So the first step in transforming your life is looking inwards. It is also very important for your goals to make sense to you. So, for each goal, define the reason why it is important to you.
Now you know where you want to go. Now look at your habits. These are the systems that you have built in your life so far. Can they take you to your goals? Or do you need to build new habits? Some of your current habits might even be hindering you from achieving your aspirations.
Identify the areas where you need to start building good habits. However, you need to remember one thing- habits do not give overnight success. They help you in continuous improvement. Through positive habits, you will achieve your goals in incremental steps.
Elevating Progress with Habits
Unveiling the Benefits of Habits in Personal Growth
Each one of us would have accumulated habits as we move through life. We perform many of these things on autopilot. For instance, brushing your teeth every morning or locking your door when you go out.
Truth is, none of these habits would have started on autopilot. Performing them over and over again for many years has made them so. If you flip this idea, you can start a habit by doing the same thing repeatedly until you start performing it on autopilot.
As a well-informed adult, you can choose the behavior you want to build and then focus on it. For example, let’s say you want to gain weight and build muscle mass. One of your habits can be to drink a protein shake every morning with breakfast.
Goals as Catalysts for Transformation
While good habits are indispensable for personal transformation, they are not enough. If you create a habit just because you feel it is “good” for you, it won’t last long. Every habit you build should be tied to a goal.
Building a habit is not easy. Any behavior change takes time, effort and consistency. While going through this process if the reason is not clear, it is easier to give up. So define your goals clearly. While setting goals also think about why each of these goals are important to you. How will reaching your goals enhance your happiness?
Stephen Covey highlights the importance of goals in his bestselling book, 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. He advises to start with the end in mind. Define your goal and purpose in life first and then prioritize actions towards it.
Understanding the Role of Goals in Creating Focus and Direction
Setting SMART Goals for Effective Goal Setting
Strategies for Goal Implementation and Achievement
Cultivating Synergy: Integrating Habits and Goals
The Power of Combining Habits and Goals
When you combine goals with habits, you get a foolproof recipe for success. Here’s how you can build habits that will take you closer to your goals.
- Look at your destination. For instance, let’s assume that your goal is to write a cookbook in 6 months.
- Consider your current reality. Do you cook every day? Do you need to develop any skills?
- Identify the gaps. These could be knowledge gaps or opportunity gaps. For example, you might not have the necessary chopping skills to try out various recipes.
- Turn these gaps into habits. Any gaps can be filled with habits. If your chopping skills are not great, build a habit to practice it for 15 minutes every day.
Once you start achieving goals, you will start to realize the power of habits.
Success Stories: Realizing Transformation Through Habits and Goals
Wondering what makes successful people successful? Having clear goals and creating positive, long-term habits.
Did you know Bill Gates reads for at least an hour every day? It is this thirst for learning that has made him the CEO of Microsoft as well as one of the wealthiest people on earth.
Arnold Schwarzenegger swears by the power of habits. He says, “The more you do it, the more automatic it becomes and the less effort it takes.” Schwarzenegger used to work out five hours a day during his bodybuilding days. He wanted to win the bodybuilding championships and he did whatever it took.
Michelle Obama is yet another torchbearer of building positive long-term habits. Her daily routine of sleep, working out, and spending time with her family keeps her physically and mentally healthy.
Nurturing a Growth Mindset: Making Personal Development a Way of Life
Adopting a Growth Mindset for Continuous Learning and Adaptation
All of us are capable of achieving what we set our minds to. With consistent effort and a clear direction, no mountain is too big. You should never feel that you cannot accomplish something because it’s just not your thing. Human beings are capable of learning and adapting to just about anything.
Make a growth mindset a habit. You can learn and achieve anything. Even if something is seemingly your weakness right now, you can turn it into a strength.
Long-term growth will happen when you have long-term goals and the habits to go with them.
Additional Topics
Habit Goals Examples
So to achieve your goals, you need to build habits. Building these habits becomes a goal in itself! Let us look at some examples of habit goals.
Let’s say one of your goals is to stop procrastinating. You can make it a habit to plan your day first thing in the morning. This will help you visualize how the day will look like and you are more likely to get things done.
On the other hand, let’s say one of your goals is to stay hydrated and drink 8 glasses of water. You can build a habit of drinking two glasses of water every morning. This will give you a great headstart. In addition, you can also create a habit of always carrying a water bottle with you.
Building new habits is not an easy task. Follow this two-step process to make it easier for you!
Step 1: Connect the new habit to an existing habit.
For example, plan your day while drinking your morning coffee. Or drink two glasses of water immediately after you brush your teeth.
Step 2: Reward new habit
This could look like relaxing for 30 minutes after planning for the day.
Atomic Habits Goal Setting Template
Author James Clear in his bestselling book, Atomic Habits, gives a four-step template for building new habits.
Cue: The cue triggers the brain to start a behavior. Our brains perceive cues to be tied to rewards.
Craving: Craving is the second step and the motivational force behind building a habit. Without craving some change in our environment, we have no reason to act.
Response: This is the meat of the habit. The new action of thought process you are trying to build falls in response.
Reward: Reward is the end goal of building any habit. When you start to eat healthier, you start to feel more energetic. That is your reward.
How To Create Systems Instead Of Goals
In order to achieve success in life, you need better systems and not more goals. How many times have we set goals that we forgot too soon? Because they seemed too challenging or unattainable. With the right systems, no goal will be too big for you.
If your goal is to stop procrastinating, create a system where it is difficult to procrastinate and easy to work. Move your work desk from your bedroom. Keep the phone in a different room until you finish the main tasks of your day.
When building a new habit, create a system where it is easy to perform it.
Atomic Habits Systems Examples
Here are some atomic habits that can change your life!
- Eat mindfully. Stay away from your phone, laptop, TV or book during mealtimes.
- Have a wholesome morning routine.
- Plan your day first thing in the morning.
- Read every day.
- Have a gadget-free bedroom.
FAQ’s
- Why Successful People Set Habits Not Just Goals?
Successful people know that just setting goals will not get them success. To achieve those goals they need to build habits that are aligned to the goals. Habits not goals determine long-term success.
2. What Is The Difference Between Setting Goals And Habits?
Setting goals depends on your values and purpose in life. What is it that you ultimately want to achieve in life?
Setting habits involves building systems to help you achieve those goals.
3. What Is The Difference Between A Goal And A Habit?
A goal gives direction to your life. It is the destination you want to work towards. A habit is how you will get there. A habit ensures continuous improvement toward the goal.
A goal is “where” you want to go and a habit is “how” you will get there.
4. How Do Goals Affect Your Habits?
Goals are your ultimate destination. Any habits you will build will depend on the goals. For example, let’s say your goal is to learn a new language in 4 months. You will need to build a habit of speaking in that language for 10 minutes every day.
5. Are Habits The Key To Success?
Habits not goals determine your success. Everyone sets goals. What sets the successful apart from unsuccessful people is creating habits aligned with their goals. When you build positive habits, you will not only achieve your goals but you might even overshoot them!
6. Are Goals And Habits The Same?
No, they are not. Goals are the ultimate destination. Habits are how you get there. For instance, an Olympian wants to win a gold medal. That is their goal. To achieve this, they will need to build habits like sleeping for 7 hours every day, consuming prescribed meals and practising their sport.
7. What Is A Habit Goal?
Building a habit is not easy. It becomes a goal in itself. Any behavior change is initially met with resistance from the brain. It is comfortable with the current habits and does not want change. So the goal of building a particular habit is called a habit goal.
8. What Are Habits To Achieve Goals?
Habits are the pathways to achieving goals. Through habits, you make progress every day towards your goals.
9. What Is The Relationship Between Goals And Habits?
Goals and habits need to work together to ensure a successful life. You create goals based on what you want to achieve in life. And to accomplish goals you will need to build habits.
10. What Is A Systematic Way Of Meeting A Goal?
Creating systems that are aligned with your goals is a great way to make continuous progress. This way you inch closer to your goals every day.
11. What Is The Purpose Of Habits?
The purpose of habits is to help achieve your goals. Habits are actions that you perform on autopilot. When your habits are aligned with your goals, you make steady progress.
12. Should I Set Goals Or Habits?
Both! You need goals to give motivation and direction. Habits are what will help achieve those goals.
13. How Do You Create A System Instead Of Goals?
You create a system based on your goals. If your goal is to lose weight, you will create systems that will enable that. For instance, you might meal prep, drink more water, and buy fruits instead of junk food. This system will help you get healthier and fitter!