Hack The Box

The Goal

The term goal refers to a state that lies in the future, generally changed from the present, desirable, that we aspire to fulfill. A goal is thus a defined and desired endpoint of a process. Therefore, it must be possible to determine precisely from the formulation of the goal what the desired state must be for a goal to be considered achieved. There are many different types of goals, such as:

  • Quantitative goals Qualitative goals
  • Complementary goals Competing goals
  • Indifferent goals Main goals
  • Secondary goals and many more

For every single goal, dozens of different formulas and models have been created to achieve them in the "best possible" way. However, finding a suitable model that fits our personal needs, life experiences, and goals is not easy. Each of the models has a different focus, and to find the perfect model for us, we would have to study each and try them out for a more extended time. The biggest problem is that we are forced to abandon one of the models because we do not know if the model will lead us to our goal, and in addition, efficiency conflicts with comfort. If we feel comfortable with this model, it does not mean that it is effective and will lead us to the goal; therefore, we would have to try another model to find out. Without knowing how the rest of the models affect our effectiveness, we would have to try all the others, which can be very time-consuming.

The results of a meta-analysis of over 200 studies with more than 40,000 participants show that over 90 percent of people are significantly more successful in achieving their dreams by setting challenging and specific goals.

We cannot emphasize strongly enough the importance of setting a clear goal for ourselves.

What do we want to achieve? Do we want to...:

  • Pass an exam?
  • Obtain a certification?
  • Learn and master new skills?
  • Or impress and please others?

As we can certainly already think and imagine, we will take different "paths" depending on the goal we have set for ourselves. There is even a big difference between passing an exam or just getting the certification for it. Many think that the certification proves that the trained skills have been acquired. However, for most, the certification is a formal and official acknowledgment of participation in particular training. For example, if we only want to get the certification or even just the confirmation of having completed something, we will look for the easiest way to get closer to that goal as quickly as possible. Decisions are made to ask someone how certain tasks are solved in order not to have to think about it.

An essential part of this is that by avoiding our own "thinking" (or trying to solve the task on our own), we deprive ourselves of the possibility of creating chains of associations in our brain. These association chains are the links in our brain cells that serve our thinking processes and information links by which we learn to solve problems or situations. Thus, in simple terms, we deprive ourselves of the ability to learn something new and to develop further.

Because the decision of what goal we want to achieve influences how we learn, a task or goal helps us influence how we think.

Another essential aspect that we can look at, which is an excellent example, is how to reach this goal. If we think about it in more detail, none of the current "great" and well-known personalities will be able to say that they knew the path that led them to the goal beforehand. None of these people knew it. What they did know, however, was the goal that they had set for themselves.

Someone who claims that his way is the only right way should stick to that way if it works for themselves. However, claiming that there are no other ways may be true for that person, but it does not mean that others cannot do it. For example, metaphorically speaking, if the person does not know how to use a ladder, they will only get to higher floors with outside help.

No matter what goal we have in mind, we must decide on it.