Art and science of setting goals

Lately I’ve been talking a lot about goals. Well, the theme is in the air :) Also, coaching as a profession exists because there are desired outcomes that wouldn’t otherwise happen without some form of intervention. These ‘desired outcomes’ are the goals we pursue - something we want but struggle to achieve, even though we know they’re possible. And as a coach, my job is to meet my clients where they are and bridge the gap to those outcomes. 

I like to compare the process of change with a backcountry adventure. The objective is to navigate from point A to point B, carrying your gear, working your way through harder portions of the trail, overcoming obstacles (expected or not), sometimes even performing first aid. 

You can be a seasoned hiker on your hundredth trip, then you likely have already gathered all the necessary gear and have a pretty good idea of your abilities: how much distance you can cover in a day, what terrain is easy or hard for you, how to cross the streams, set up camp and resell a bear. You may also know the area and be familiar with portions of the trail. 

Or it may be your first trip ever and you may know nothing about this whole backpacking shenanigan.

Regardless of the level of experience, adventurers often hire guides to make the trip easier and safer and to have company along the way. Guides can assess the participants’ skills and abilities and provide options for sensible destinations, adequate routes, minimal gear requirements. They can expertly estimate the length of the journey and break it down into reasonable sections to ensure the footwork you have to put in is not only productive, but also enjoyable.

Returning to our topic, why do we need to have goals at the first place? A goal in the process of any change is the destination of the above adventure. Without having a destination in mind we can’t prepare for the journey. Goals give meaning to our actions and the purpose to the journey. By setting goals, we create a roadmap of where we are heading to and what is the best way to get there.

That said, there are different types of goals and what we illustrated above is called an outcome goal. Outcome goals can be ones that we know are achievable in an observable future, then we can classify them as finish-line goals. Or they could be Big Dreams - goals with no deadline, that help you move towards the person you want to be. But what if what I want is to spend a month in the mountains, hiking for 4 hours a day to explore my endurance and skills? Or I only dream about an outdoor adventure and want to integrate regular walking into my daily routine to one day be able to go there? Then it would be a process goal. Process goals are smaller actions that bring you to achieving the outcome goal. Can take form of habits.

When I work with my clients I like to begin with painting the big picture, the vision - what kind of person they want to be in their dream future self. The process of creating the vision promotes self-discovery, assessing the one’s values and beliefs to ensure that the dream vision is aligned with who they are at their core, that the goals they are willing to set for themselves are authentic to them and not imposed from the outside. 

If we consider Big Dream a final destination (point Z), next logical step is to determine point A, ‘you are here’ mark on your life map - an objective assessment of where you are right now. For many of us said objectivity doesn’t come easy. We tend to misinterpret our abilities and qualities, thus placing ourselves at a completely wrong spot on the map. You can easily imagine what happens if you plan a trip from one location, but find yourself standing with your gear in the middle of nowhere , realizing that this place is anything but the one you thought you were at. I bet it might make you feel pretty dang lost and discouraged. So, determining the starting point right is crucial for the whole journey.

When start and finish points are determined, it’s time to think of all the intermediate destinations that you will have to reach on your route. These are finish line goals that will move you in the direction of your dream. And what’s often challenging here is 

• Knowledge of the available options: which routes lead from A to B, what skills each of them requires, which one is the fastest, the easiest, the most scenic? What are possible side quests that will make your overall adventure even more worthy?

• Priorities: you can’t walk all the routes at the same time, you’ll have to choose in what order to explore them. How would you make this choice?

• What action steps do you need to take for each of those options? What skills to build? What gear to assemble? What hypothesis to test?

As a guide I can sit with you, look over the map and tell you everything I know about the area: what to see, what challenges to expect, how to prepare. And together we can come up with an optimal plan. Maybe, for your first stretch you will choose an easier flat trail just to get a feel of it and warm up. Next portion you might want to add some terrain and see how you feel climbing. Then you can decide to take a detour and chill at the lake - that’s fine, too. I’ll be there to show you the way.

And there are always unexpected things happening in life. And on a hike. Sometimes you have to stop and tend to an injury. Or there is a wild fire and you have to reconsider continuing your journey altogether. Life happens. And having a partner with you is great, because they will be the one to bandage your wounds and make you tea while you are recovering. Also an experienced partner, or a guide, will help you to adjust course if necessary.

With any plan, no matter how thought-through it is, having a plan B (or C, or D) is very important. Just because we can’t predict everything. So, being flexible and ready to adjust on the go is a crucial skill. Although unexpected change of plan could be scary and disheartening, you can only operate with what you can control, right? Here’s when having support systems in place makes a whole lot of difference. People you surround yourself with, skills you master, habits you build, environment you choose to support your goals. All these things provide a solid foundation for you be successful on your journey. And most of all, they catch you when you’re falling. Some events cannot be prevented, some circumstances are just outside of our control and no coach is capable of stopping the ‘wild fires’ that sometimes happen in our lives. But they can help you to get through all this with minimal losses. Support systems - is what you can rely upon at the times of crisis. When you need to deal with setbacks that are inevitable. Having these systems in place just makes it more likely for you to keep going even if you stumble and fall.