Goal Setting vs. Visioning
As we approach the New Year, we’ll start hearing about new year’s resolutions. Thinking back, I don’t know many people who actually achieved those resolutions. Do you? Why is that?
Maybe because most of those resolutions were guilt-based. It goes something like this: “I feel guilty that I’m not doing_______. So I’ll make it my new year’s resolution!” We usually fill the blank with habits we wish we had. Some are health related (diet, weight, or exercise); others are relationship related (spending time or improving attitude). If we paused to give ourselves compassionate caring, we might explore the underlying reasons why we haven’t been doing the things we “should” as a regular practice. Forgiving ourselves for being human and imperfect might improve the odds of changing our habits. We could set a goal, design a plan to address the challenges we will face, and establish conditions to support our progress (a network of support or rewards along the way). But the odds are still against us!
Here’s why:
Goal setting (including new year’s resolutions) is inherently flawed. When you set a goal, you begin with a negative self-assessment. You look back over your record of failures. You take stock and then focus on what’s missing in your current capabilities or current practices. Then you are repeatedly reminded of your weakness throughout the plan as you celebrate each little progress milestone.
Visioning, on the other hand, begins when we step into our future and imagine what it could be like. We describe our achievement as though it has already happened. Where have we arrived? What are our new circumstances? Who were our partners on this journey? What have we accomplished together? What new skills and capabilities are part of our new routine practices? Once we have a clear image of that vision, we can look back to the present moment. We can map our evolution and key benchmarks along the way.
Goal setting is deficit-based; visioning is asset-based. Pursuing goals, we remind ourselves of the things we “should” change. Pursuing our vision, we remind ourselves of what or who we could become. Goals begin with a reminder of what’s missing; vision begins with a reminder of what could be.
What will you do this year for your personal life — make a New Year’s Resolution or a New Year’s Vision? What if your faculty created a shared vision? What if you invited students to create and work for their own personal visions? With a vision and a network of supportive people who believe we CAN, 2018 could be a breakthrough year!
