Realizing Goals PDF

Realizing Goals I. Happiness and success A. Grit B. Self-control C. Neural basis of grit and self-control II. Grit and goals A. Goal-setting B. Imagery rehearsal/mental practice C. Best possible future self D. Affirmations Realizing Goals: Success and Happiness ✧ As mentioned earlier, “If we kn...

Realizing Goals I. Happiness and success A. Grit B. Self-control C. Neural basis of grit and self-control II. Grit and goals A. Goal-setting B. Imagery rehearsal/mental practice C. Best possible future self D. Affirmations Realizing Goals: Success and Happiness ✧ As mentioned earlier, “If we know everything about a person’s external world, we can only predict 10% of their long-term happiness” (Shawn Achor) • However, that 10% is still important, and realizing goals can mean improving your external circumstances ✧ In addition, realizing goals can refer to internal goals – such as happiness – as well • Note though that as pointed out earlier, it can also be helpful to keep in mind that “You never find happiness until you stop looking for it” (Zhuangzi) What Is the Single Most Important Trait for Success? According to Angela Duckworth’s research • It’s not IQ, not social intelligence, not good looks, not physical health… • Rather, it’s grit: passion and perseverance for very long term goals - Sticking with the future you envision for years and working really, really hard to make it a reality Grit Scale • Consists of just 12 questions, such as - “I finish whatever I begin” (+) - “I often set a goal but later choose to pursue a different one” (-) • Based entirely on self report • Takes about 3 minutes to complete ➜ Remarkably predictive of success Ø High grit ratings allow students with relatively low college-board scores to nonetheless achieve high G.P.A.’s. Ø Grit test given to freshman cadets at West Point - The military has developed its own complex evaluation to predict which cadets will survive the rigorous training o Evaluation includes academic grades, a gauge of physical fitness, and a leadership potential score ➜ However, turned out the more accurate predictor of which cadets survived training and which ones dropped out was Duckworth’s 12-item grit questionnaire Grit Scale Directions for taking the Grit Scale: Here are a number of statements that may or may not apply to you. For the most accurate score, when responding, think of how you compare to most people – not just the people you know well, but most people in the world. There are no right or wrong answers, so just answer honestly! 1.I have overcome setbacks to conquer an important challenge. Very much like me Mostly like me Somewhat like me Not much like me Not like me at all 2.New ideas and projects sometimes distract me from previous ones. Very much like me Mostly like me Somewhat like me Not much like me Not like me at all 3. My interests change from year to year. Very much like me Mostly like me Somewhat like me Not much like me Not like me at all 4. Setbacks don’t discourage me. Very much like me Mostly like me Somewhat like me Not much like me Not like me at all 5. I have been obsessed with a certain idea or project for a short time but later lost interest. Very much like me Mostly like me Somewhat like me Not much like me Not like me at all 6. I am a hard worker. Very much like me Mostly like me Somewhat like me Not much like me Not like me at all 7. I often set a goal but later choose to pursue a different one. Very much like me Mostly like me Somewhat like me Not much like me Not like me at all 8. I have difficulty maintaining my focus on projects that take more than a few months to complete. Very much like me Mostly like me Somewhat like me Not much like me Not like me at all 9. I finish whatever I begin. Very much like me Mostly like me Somewhat like me Not much like me Not like me at all 10.I have achieved a goal that took years of work. Very much like me Mostly like me Somewhat like me Not much like me Not like me at all 11.I become interested in new pursuits every few months. Very much like me Mostly like me Somewhat like me Not much like me Not like me at all 12. I am diligent. Very much like me Mostly like me Somewhat like me Not much like me Not like me at all ______________________________________________________________ ____ Scoring: For questions 1, 4, 6, 9, 10 and 12 assign the following points: 5 = Very much like me 4 = Mostly like me 3 = Somewhat like me 2 = Not much like me 1 = Not like me at all For questions 2, 3, 5, 7, 8 and 11 assign the following points: 1 = Very much like me 2 = Mostly like me 3 = Somewhat like me 4 = Not much like me 5 = Not like me at all Add up all the points and divide by 12. The maximum score on this scale is 5 (extremely gritty), and the lowest score on this scale is 1 (not at all gritty). As you can see from the questions used to assess grit, grit doesn’t just mean having stamina or persistence • It’s about being able to say “no” to things that are not in line with what you truly want at a deep level • As such, it is closely relate to the concept of self-control Self-Control Ø Marshmallow challenge: One of the first studies on emotional intelligence • 4-year-olds were offered a marshmallow by experimenter but was told that if they waited until experimenter returned from running a 15-20 minute errand, they would receive two marshmallows instead of just the one • Those who resisted temptation at four were more socially competent, self-reliant, confident, trustworthy, and dependable as adolescents • When re-evaluated after graduating from high school, they were better able to put their ideas into words, use reason, and concentrate, and were more eager to learn • They also had dramatically higher SAT scores (average of 210 points higher than those who had shown no self-control as children) ☞ Performance on marshmallow challenge test at four was twice as powerful a predictor of later SAT scores as IQ was at four! • They also had higher college completion rates and incomes More recent research on self-control Ø Some follow-up studies that manipulated variables in different ways have found a somewhat weaker correlation, but overall, performance on the “marshmallow challenge” test has been found to correlate significantly with later academic achievement Ø Dunedin Multidisciplinary Health and Development Study: premier longitudinal study with over 1000 participants found that ➜ An individual's preschool self-control predicts their life satisfaction, crime record, income level, physical health, and parenting skill in adolescence and even adulthood (Moffitt, Poulton, & Caspi, 2013) Ø In studies of American, Asian, and New Zealander children, self-control outdid intelligence test scores in predicting future academic and life success (Duckworth & Seligman, 2005; Poulton, Moffitt & Silva, 2015; Wu, Kung, Chen et al., 2016) « Note: Self-control is NOT about willpower Ø People who are better at self-control - Do not report exerting more effortful self-control - Rather… o They enjoy activities many people resist – like eating healthy, studying, or exercising o They establish better habits than those with less self-control so that they actually experience fewer temptations in their lives (Milyavskaya & Inzlicht, 2017) ☞ It’s largely about focus of attention - Are you focused on o What you want OR o What you don’t want, i.e., what feels aversive Ø Ex: The reason the vast majority of diets fail is that people on a diet focus on restricting their food intake and what they cannot eat, rather than nourishing their body with good foods and feeling healthy Controversies Regarding Research on Grit ✧ Duckworth argued that grit predicted academic performance better than the Big Five personality traits ✧ However, other researchers have claimed that the Big Five personality factors have equal predictive ability (Rimfeld, Kovas, & Dale, 2016) ➜ Note though that grit can be measured by a simple 12-item questionnaire − Assessment of the Big Five personality factors requires much lengthier surveys ✧ Follow-up studies found that the benefits of grit seem to derive more from the the perseverance (effort) than the consistency of interest (passion) aspect of grit (Crede, Tynan, & Harms, 2017) Neural Basis of Grit and Self-Control One would expect grit and self-control to be related to activity in the prefrontal and anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) • Together these regions manage effortful control, the deliberate and sustained regulation of thoughts and behavior • There are dense, reciprocal connections from the ACC to the amygdala and hippocampus Anterior cingulate cortex Prefrontal cortex Ø Study on neuroanatomical correlates of grit in adolescents • Voxel-based morphology (VBM) indicated that regional gray matter volume (rGMV) in the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC) negatively predicted grit scores − Finding is in line with other research that has indicated that decreased rGMV/rWMV (ratio of regional gray matter volume to white matter volume) in the mPFC is associated with better cognitive functions (Paus, 2005; Sowell, Thompson, Tessner et al., 2001) − Probably due to association with increased intracortical myelination and synaptic pruning during development • Furthermore, analyses suggest that growth mindset serves as a mediator in the association between left dlPFC volume and grit (Wang, Dai, Li et al., 2018) a) Negative association between grit and rGMV in left dlPFC b) Correlation between grit and left dlPFC volume Ø Study examining relationship between grit scores and regional fALFF (fractional amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations) in adolescents • Grit was found to be negatively related to fALFF in the right dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (dmPFC) − This area is involved in self-regulation, planning, goal setting and maintenance, and counterfactual thinking for reflecting on past failures − The negative correlation between grit and spontaneous brain activity fits with several studies demonstrating higher fALFF of the dmPFC in patients with self-regulation-related disorders, such as ADHD (Li et al., 2014), substance use disorder (Orr et al., 2013), anxiety disorder (Qiu et al., 2015) and major depressive disorder (Guo et al., 2013; Liu et al., 2013) • In addition, fALFF of the right dmPFC plays a mediating role in the association between grit and academic performance (Wang, Zhou, Chen et al., 2017) ★ fALFF measures spontaneous fluctuations in BOLD-fMRI signal intensity for a given region in the resting brain Grit and Goals According to Angela Duckworth, “grit” means having a vision of the future and working really, really hard to make that a reality ➜ Grit requires that one has clear goals • Csikszentmihalyi’s research on happiness/flow similarly shows that having well-defined goals promotes happiness However, in order for goals to promote happiness certain criteria must be met: a) The goal needs to stem from a desire to express part of ourselves, rather than the need to impress others Ø Pursuit of extrinsic, as opposed to intrinsic, goals is associated with poorer psychological outcomes and higher rates of depression and anxiety (Sheldon & Kasser, 1995) − Intrinsic goals are goals that we pursue out of deep personal conviction and/or a strong interest and arise from deep inside of us, rather than merely reflecting a need to meet societal expectations and approval v This is the true joy in life, the being used for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one. – George Bernard Shaw b) The emphasis should not be on attaining the goal, that is, expecting that achieving the goal will make you happy – because that clearly doesn’t happen… v We will never reach the point where we think, “OK, it’s enough now, it’s all right now. I am satisfied”; rather we feel “I want this. I want that. I want more. It’s not enough.” ☞ Goals are meant to be a way of enhancing our enjoyment of the journey, our ability to find the present moment pleasurable and meaningful v When we know where we are going – and know that we really, really want to get there – it is much easier for us to stay on course. We are more likely to say “no” to distractions that are not aligned with our own best interests and “yes” to the call of the voice within. − Tal Ben-Shahar ☛Goal Setting ² Write down a list of 10 goals you would like to achieve within 12 months - Don’t worry whether the goals are realistic, but be as specific as you can Ø Ex: don’t just write that you want to get better grades twelve months; write that you want to get three A’s and an A+ every term ² Then go through the list and pick out the one that you think is the most important to you, that would have the most positive impact on your life and the lives of everyone around you if it came true - Circle that ² Take another sheet of paper and write down all the things that you can do to make that goal come true ² Finally, on a third sheet of paper, write down a statement of that goal as if it had already been achieved, e.g., “I am now getting three A’s and an A+ every term” - Focus on that all the time, as soon as you wake up in the morning and before you go to bed - You might also want to write it on a 3x5 card to remind yourself throughout the day ² Each day, think about what else you can do to make that goal come true, about any new ideas you might have - And make it a point to do at least one thing everyday towards making that goal a reality v The moment one definitely commits oneself, then providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would not otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of event issues from the decision, raising in one’s favor all manner of unforeseen incidents and meetings and material assistance which no man would have dreamed would come his way. – William H. Murray v Average people have wishes and hopes. Confident people have goals and plans. – Brian Tracy Imagery Rehearsal/Mental Practice A technique that is often used to assist in realizing goals is imagery rehearsal/mental practice or visualization • Much of the research on mental practice has focused on skills acquisition and performance enhancement in sports and in surgery - Has also been used to improve musical/dramatic performance, etc. • Many famous athletes have attributed their success to this technique, and there is extensive empirical support for its effectiveness - Mental practice has become a standard part of training for Olympic athletes (Blumenstein & Orbach, 2012; Ungerleider, 2005) • Middle school students whose families struggle financially are more likely to earn high grades if they have a clear vision of themselves succeeding in school (Duckworth, 2016) ² Neurological mechanism: • The same neurological circuits are activated and the same type of LTP takes place during imagery rehearsal as during actual physical practice (Avanzino, Gueugneau, Bisio et al., 2015; DiRienzo, Debarnot, Daligault et al., 2016) − Visual imagery activates about 70-90% of the same brain regions that are activated during visual perception (Kosslyn, Ganis, & Thompson, 2010) ² Possible psychological mechanism: • Visualization probably works in part by strengthening optimism, which in turn strengthens persistence and effectiveness v “Belief must strengthen the imagination for imagination establishes the will.” – Paracelsus Ø Visualization is also used in evidence-based psychotherapies, such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Stress Inoculation Therapy, which helps clients prepare themselves to handle stressful events ★ To be effective, imagery rehearsal should be a multisensory endeavor, which is why the term “imagery” is preferred to “visualization” Factors influencing effectiveness of visualization/imagery rehearsal (Richard Suinn) • Imagery rehearsal is more effective if preceded by relaxation • Imagery rehearsal is more effective when one fully experiences the task, engaging all the senses, rather than merely “thinking about” or watching oneself perform the task ☞ The key is to make the sensory experience as vivid and real as possible and to focus on the feelings evoked by the scene, as well as the various details, e.g., how other people are responding to you, etc. • Spreading out imagery rehearsal sessions over a period of time is more effective than massing them • Experienced performers profit more from imagery rehearsal; beginners profit more from actual physical practice - Mental practice works better if the task is easy or well-practiced « Study found that imagining yourself studying (and refusing invitations to party instead) is more effective than simply visualizing yourself getting an “A” on a test! ☛Best Possible Future Self ² Spend 20 minutes each day for 4 days writing a description of your “best possible future self.” ² Imagine yourself in the future. Everything has gone as well as it possibly could. You have worked hard and succeeded in accomplishing all your life goals. Think of this as the realization of your life dreams, and of your own best potentials. ² Visualize the best possible future for yourself in multiple domains of life. Ø Ex: 29-year-old woman might imagine that in ten years, she’ll be married to her soul mate, have two healthy children, be working in film production, and be playing the violin in an amateur chamber music ensemble (Laura King) v Because writing is highly structured, systematic, and rule-bound, it prompts you to organize, integrate, and analyze your thoughts in a way that would be difficult, if not impossible, to do if you were just fantasizing (Lyubomirsky) Ø Study (mentioned earlier) in which participants were asked to think about one of following: • Things they were grateful for • Their “best possible future self” (BPS) • Details of their daily life Results: • Those in gratitude and best possible future self conditions showed increased positive affect relative to those in control group • Increase in positive affect was significantly greater for BPS than for gratitude group • For BPS group, significant increase in positive affect was found in the short run (immediately after exercise), as well as after 4 weeks of continued home practice (Sheldon & Lyubomirsky, 2006) Ø Peters, Flink, Boersma et al. (2010) similarly found that compared to control group asked to write about a typical day in their life, BPS group showed significantly larger increase in positive affect and positive future expectancies v There does not seem to be any neuroimaging studies on the best possible future self intervention thus far In Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, visualization is often used in conjunction with affirmations Ø Examples: “I am full of radiant health and energy.” “Infinite riches are freely flowing into my life.” “The world is a safe and friendly place.” “I always communicate easily and effectively.” “Everything good is coming to me easily and effortlessly.” – Basic rules: 1) Phrase affirmations in the present tense, not the future 2) Phrase affirmations in the most positive way you can (e.g., Don’t say, “I no longer oversleep in the morning,” but rather “I now wake up on time and full of energy every morning.”) 3) Keep it short and simple! ☛ Create your own affirmations and repeat them throughout the day or whenever you get into trouble! ☛Note Card Exercise ² Identify a goal that you would like to achieve ² Find a word that represents the essence of that goal ² Write the word on small note cards and place them in prominent places around the house and in your wallet - You can also set the word as a reminder on your phone « In general, it’s best not to tell anyone what the note cards are about. • Keeping your goals to yourself builds up energetic charge, whereas talking about them can dissipate your energy • Also, people might derail you with their doubts and negative thoughts… ☞ There is power in secrecy! A Word on “Realism”… Some may argue that visualization/affirmations are not “realistic” or that they involves a type of self-deception since you are not actually your best possible future self right now, for instance However, research indicates that being overly realistic is not necessarily healthy… Ø People with depression actually tend to be more accurate in judging their own abilities, as well as their degree of control over a situation! (Alloy & Abramson, 1979; Gotlib & Meltzer, 1987) v The secret of success is to never face facts. – Gertrude Stein Ø Study by Mark Snyder found that when a man was led to believe that a woman found him attractive, she was more likely to act as if she did v Assume a virtue if you have it not. – Shakespeare Dream big about what would make you REALLY happy, to the depths of your being, how you would FEEL if that came true, and keep visualizing yourself getting there! Video References Videos excerpted from: • Marshmallow test short Large https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wz1pnFBLZM4 • Secrets Of Self Made Millionaires by Brian Tracy https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KAGn_k1jHsY • How to Use Creative Visualization - John Assaraf https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XZXuBZMjyR0