Goal-Setting and Why Aversion is a Good Place to Start

Goal-setting is the crux of personal development, as it is the only way to define and measure your success. Although not everyone makes use of this essential process, it’s something that can usually be done fairly easily. Accomplishing goals, on the other hand, is much more challenging.
 Most people with the drive to achieve are able to get started in one way or another. For example, a man desperately trying to lose twenty pounds might begin by purchasing a treadmill. However, the problem arises when he becomes conscious of all the seemingly hard work in front of him. His motivation wanes and bad habits quickly creep back into place.

Getting around the work isn’t always possible and even when it is, it may not be advantageous because the process itself is often more valuable than the outcome. Say the man in the previous example was to adopt the Atkins’ diet; he might shed the pounds faster and more easily, but he’ll probably gain it all back even more quickly as his body becomes increasingly adept at storing fat. Instead of trying to beat the game, the trick is to avoid it altogether and protect yourself from falling back into your old ways.

Aversion is vital because the allure of short-term gratification is can be very difficult to resist. The idea is to give no opportunity for your negative behaviours to thrive, leaving you with no option left but to succeed, even if you’re a bit capricious at the start. This goes against the common belief that the most persistent people are those who face their problems head-on, staring rigidly with their jaws and fists tightly clenched in the agony of resisting temptation.

I believe that such masculine attitudes are not conducive to self-actualization. To be able to resist something you crave is a skill that must be developed. With more motivation and proper practice, this skill can be developed faster but very rarely does it emerge instantaneously. If the man trying to lose weight goes to an all-you-can-eat buffet every evening with friends who urge him to stuff his belly, what are his chances of succeeding? Not very likely.

By avoiding the situations that trigger your bad habits, you can gradually stop the habits altogether. Once positive practices are in place, it’s much easier to condition yourself to conduct your desired actions in more tantalizing situations. Then, you are well on your way to accomplishing your goal.