The importance of a great goal:
If you set the wrong goals, you might end up in the wrong place without realizing it over time. The first goal should be “how to start loving the game,” your game. Without loving what you do, you will find it very difficult to make any progress without hating each step of the way. The chances of burnout increase, the chances of giving up increase, and finding a worthy goal that suits you is actually not an easy task.
It will repeat forever. You will constantly find new goals. Those goals will drive you away from the main goals, and you have to be careful not to lose track. Dopamine should not control you, and those mini-rewards might not be worth it in the end.
I had this happen to me so many times. After a couple of years of this same behavior repeating (new goal here, new goal there), I said enough is enough and asked myself, “Why? Why is that happening?” and proceeded to focus on the main goals.
No one can set up a long-term goal for you, it just wont work. You are a unique human being, and there is never going to be somebody like you. This is your own responsibility, and you should put a lot of time and effort into finding and securing your goals. Hourly, daily, weekly, monthly.
You will probably use the same amount of energy, if not less, chasing a big goal rather than a small goal. We all have 24 hours per day. It really comes down to how much brainpower you want to use during the day to achieve what you desire.
Exercises / Lesson Summary:
- There are no limits to how big of a goal you can set. It will just be more complicated. But people who love the game are going to love complicated tasks so much more. Problems will start to feel normal and later rewarding. You might even start seeking problems yourself as they stimulate growth in a healthy way of course.
- This is the first most important goal I would advise to anyone: Get committed to making your game the best game. Make it easy to play. Bad diet? Bad sleep? Many problems? No problem. Solve them all.
- The future is important. Long term is important. Patience is important. I was the most impatient person I have ever known. What am I gonna do and what am I gonna have in 10 years? This caused me to live in the future and forget the here and now. My mind was somewhere else, and I could not bring myself back to the now. Well, I did. I did because I wanted to progress further in life. I did not want my everyday to just be another everyday. I wanted to enjoy the process and love my game.
- Hungry to achieve your goal. I found out that the only way to wake up hungry, well I wake up hungry every day and love to eat in the morning. But what I mean is hungry to get what you want. It is as simple as finding things that really do mean a lot to you. That way you never stop until you get what you want.
- Falling down and staying down until you get up with a proper strategy. There is no point in working hard if there is no strategy, no preparation, or some kind of proper plan. I tried that work-hard thingy. 19 hours per day, for many years. I was dead wrong. I regret it big time. I wish I gave myself some time to stop and think. I should not have stood up so many damn times. I should have given myself some time to think and stop pushing for something that had little to no reward.
I accepted what happened and moveded on. The lesson is that you work hard when you have leverage, when your gut feeling says that the chances of winning are in your favor. Do not play a game you cannot win.