Are You One Habit Away from Easily Reaching Your Goal?

Setting goals works!

I’d bet most or some the goals you set to achieve, are a more specific outcome, right?

More money, a new and bigger house, lose weight, be more fit. Goals like these usually come to mind when most people think about goal setting.

And this type of goal usually revolves around a situation in our lives we want to change. They are what we could call outcome-based goals.

But a different type of goal, which focuses on changing behaviors, makes achieving an outcome-based goal both easier and faster!

Here is what it means to have a behavior-based goal:

Behavior-based goal setting focuses on positive changes in our habits or behaviors.

Changing our behaviors and habits increase our chances to reach outcome-based goals. Think of behavior-based goals as a mid-point, or stepping stone, on your way to your ideal outcome.

By creating and practicing new, positive habits until they become second nature, we increase the likelihood of achieving our end goals.

[Tweet “Science tells us 45% of behavior is habitual. What #habits do you need to reach your 2017 #goals?”]

Science says that 45% of our behavior is habitual.

Science finds, a certain part of our brain, the prefrontal cortex, controls new habits we desire to put in place. So a particular outcome-based goal we’re aiming for needs us to think more about it. This area of the brain is responsible for conscious and deliberative thinking. So, of course, having to consciously think about doing something, makes new habits slower to put in place!

But then, as our learning (and doing) moves forward, another part of the brain takes over, the basal ganglia. Over time, it’s seeking “cues” or “triggers” to make actions more automatic. If you drive a car, you can understand “triggers” such as yellow light to slow down, a green light to go, stop sign (and red light) to stop.

Now, if you need a tactic to help you make it easier to implement a habit strategy, take a look at Tiny Habits by BJ Fogg. Start with a 5-day plan. Then if you want more support, a little outside accountability, check out text coaching. It’s introvert friendly and affordable.

Spillover of new habits to more easily reach your goal

While we’re changing our behaviors, we’re also using these newly-cemented positive habits in many other areas of our life – some having nothing at all to do with your end goal! Putting new habits in place for one area of life can spill over into another.

A few years ago, I set an outcome goal to experience more peace in my life. It started from a bible verse I was studying from Thessalonians 5:16

16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

A daily habit of meditation seemed to be the one to develop which would get me to – more peace, my outcome. Feeling more calm and less worry as my daily practice fell in place, had me asking myself, what other behavior could I take on to boost things?

Evolving was my soon to be morning-hour of meditation, Bible reading, and prayer. It’s all on automatic. When I wake up, after drinking some water, and a couple of other morning needs, my meditation spot calls to me!

There’s a double-win in learning to use behavior-based goals as steps to outcome-based goals. It’s in the knowing it’s partly a matter of finding the behavior to make the habit, a reality, day by day.

How to get to our Behavior-based goals

Create a larger outcome-based goal first.

Then ask yourself, “What positive behavior will I need in place to increase my chances of reaching this goal?” Those answers, are likely your new behavior-based goals!

Here’s one more example.

Katy wants to lose thirty pounds. Losing weight is her larger, outcome-based goal.

She knows to lose the weight and keep it off; and that changing some habits that sabotage her from this now is important. She recognizes she needs to create new habits at least around – consistency, and discipline.

After some research into these new behaviors, she finds techniques and actions to implement as habits to create positive changes that meet these interim daily behavior-based goals.

Then, even as she is just ramping up, at the end of each day, she feels more satisfied. The “doing” of things lets her know she is moving toward her weight loss goal. The positive feeling of success keeps her moving forward.

A few months later, Katy loses those thirty pounds and now has stronger, positive habits she can count on in her behavior for years to come.

Behavior-based goals programs focus on the short-term being and doing activities. Quite often, this being and doing, needs to be an automatic habit for us. We can write these kind of goals down, and check them off, and they leave us with a feeling of success.