Brenda Martinez, United States Track and Field athlete was in the last 100 of her best event, the 800-meter run at the Olympic Team Trials in Eugene, Oregon when another athlete tripped and fell onto Brenda causing some fumbling footwork. She regained her composure, but the milliseconds lost was enough for her to be passed by other runners to get those coveted Olympic spots. Any spectator could see the opportunity that was devastatingly lost in that moment.
What was Marinez reaction to her failure, her goal of making the Olympics in her strongest event? She said this to the press, “The track doesn't care about your feelings. You’ve got to move forward.” She went on to say that she was focused on getting ready for her other event, the 1500m. She could have felt distraught and dejected, especially as so much of this was due to bad luck, and no one would blame her for it. And did she move forward! In less than a week, Martinez literally dove across the finish line to secure the last spot on the Olympic team-- by three one-hundredths of a second-- her ticket to Rio was punched!
Martinez told Brad Stulburg, columnist at New York Magazine and Outside Magazine in an interview, “I just quickly let go of what happened in the 800m and got back to my routine, to focusing on all the little things I could do that would give me the best chance of running well later in the week.” She said that her mind set got her to the Olympics in the first place, as well as relying on lessons learned in training, setbacks, wins and losses and financial obstacles that have ultimately made her more resilient. What Brenda Martinez exemplified here is that she wasn't attached to her goal of making the Olympic Team. She was focused on the PROCESS.
As the Wellness Initiative (WIN) embarks for a year at RedMane, many of us may have made, or are formulating personal goals to be accomplished. Maybe it is losing X amount of weight, becoming that consistent nutritious eater, getting stronger, or becoming the ultimate “well balanced” person-- whatever that looks like in your head. But undoubtedly, we all have goals unique to us in this program and outside of it. Having goals is great, right?
Well, maybe.
A team of researchers from Harvard, Northwestern, and the University of Pennsylvania set out to investigate possible obstacles in the common practice of goal-setting, and its impact on long term performance and general well-being. To summarize what they found and presented in a Harvard Business Review, goals are overemphasized (especially ones with measurable outcomes). It can lead to things like reduced motivation, unwarranted boldness, and even unethical behaviors!
We all have been witness to the path leading to goals going the wrong way, either in others we know, in the news, or maybe even in ourselves! What about those willing to do anything? Those driven to achieve the external goal/reward? We have seen things like the dieter taking harmful diet pills, the student who cheats on a paper, the professional athlete taking performance enhancing drugs, the colleague willing to throw a fellow coworker under the bus in hopes of getting that promotion? These are more extreme realities, but they certainly are not rare. The researchers cited examples like these are predictable side effects of overemphasizing goals. They said “goal setting should be prescribed selectively and presented with a warning label.”
Another potential pitfall with goals, especially BIG goals, or goals with a long time frame, is that they can seem overwhelming. For example, setting a goal of finishing an Ironman, getting that doctorate, or thriving in a year long program like the Wellness Initiative, is motivating, until reality sets in and you see how hard it is going to be. Maybe not knowing where to start is overwhelming, and even if you do figure out where to start, it becomes clear how far you still need to go! Even if you’re taking steps in the right direction, the daily progress might seem trivial in comparison to that big goal.
For many, this can turn into a setback of feeling dejected, unmotivated, and ultimately paralzying, leading to the inability to take any more real positive action. On the flip side, let's say you accomplished that big goal that you set for yourself. You put in the work, made sacrifices along the way, and put your whole heart and soul into it! SUPER! Mission accomplished and time to celebrate! But if that was all you were focusing on, many people walk away feeling a void in their life, an emptiness, and even sad and depressed. Many brides experience that after planning the big wedding of their dreams, or marathon runner’s might experience something called the “post race blues”. Putting so much emphasis on the goal, and less emphasis on the process, can cause that post goal let down that could be avoided with a different mind set. Instead, valuing the habits that it takes to get there, can be much more rewarding.
Another potential negative side effect of focusing too much on goals, is that oftentimes there are things we cannot control. Tying one's self-worth and identity to achieving that success can really do a number on our self-perception! Like the example of Brenda Martinez getting tripped, or bad weather preventing goal times for that aspiring Ironman, a big project at work, or things like illness and changing family obligations. These are all things that lie outside of our control and can be a legitimate reason for not meeting a goal. If our self-worth is tied to achieving that goal, and it is not met, does that make us failures? If we judge ourselves in that mind set, then sadly the answer is, yes.
With all this said, should we just throw away the whole idea of goal setting? Absolutely not! Having a north star to guide us towards things we want to achieve is essential! But after you set a goal, shifting your mindset to the PROCESS of achieving it will be a key component of how well you do!
If focusing on the process is critical to achieving the goals we set, and ultimately bringing about overall satisfaction, how do we do that and how do we get there?
First, breaking down the goal into smaller parts that are within your control. Brenda Martinez did just that. She moved right past negativity that was experienced in her 800 race and anxiety about her upcoming race, and proceeded right to the things she could do, like practicing good nutrition, body-care, quality sleep, and smart training. Her mind-set was not on making the Olympics, but on the process of making the Olympics. We may not all be going to the Olympics any time soon, but the RedMane Wellness Initiative is an opportunity to create new habits and best practices that can lead to incremental success. These small steps could be composed of things like making a grocery list, packing a lunch, setting aside 10 minutes every day to read through Precision Nutrition lessons, taking a walk during a lunch break, getting to bed 15 minutes earlier--- the list could be anything. But examples like these, may be helpful, small, everyday, steps you can do that ultimately put you on the path to your north star! The beauty of breaking down goals into smaller parts and actions, is that it allows for many little victories and milestones along the way. Having these frequent victories can help us with our motivation, and motivation leads to consistency, and consistency helps us stay on the right track. Staying on track with things in our control increases our odds to achieving the goals we set!
Realizing and celebrating the little victories along the way, noticing the progress in even its smallest forms, and staying consistent, leads to a love for doing the work. Day in and day out, commitment has now become something that is embraced and gratifying. Daily well-being and the sense of fulfillment make us more likely to continue with the little steps, and ultimately achieve our goals, and avoiding burn-out and anxiety.
Lastly, when the process, and not the outcome is our focus, our self-worth can be positively impacted. In her book Presence, New York Times–best-selling author and Harvard Business School psychology professor, Amy Cuddy writes that focusing on the process “leaves you with a sense of satisfaction and accomplishment, regardless of the measurable outcome.” Cuddy says that this mind-set lends itself to presence, which she defines as the ability to be in the moment. To be confident but not arrogant. She says that when you know you have done your best, put in the effort, it brings about confidence and contentment, none of which can be taken away from you when the uncontrollable events happened- precisely what happened to Brenda Martinez!
When it comes to approaching the RedMane Wellness Initiative, completing the program, and setting goals, a mind set of fostering growth through process will lead to not only success in this program, but in all endeavors!