SANTILLANA, Shaina U.

March 23, 2018

STEM II –MENDELEEV Mrs. Ezel G. Jainar

ARTICLE REVIEW

Many of us have always been taught that in order to achieve, we have to set goals. Setting
personal goals enable us to create a “big picture’ of what we want to reach our desired
objectives. Then we break these down into smaller targets that we must hit to reach the goals.
SMART Goals is defined as Specific, Measureable, Attainable, Realistic and Time-bound. Your
goal must be well defined, you must be able to ascertain how you are doing, the goal must be
possible to attain with you developing the skills required, and the goal has to represent an
objective that you are willing and able to work towards. The goal must be grounded within a
time frame to encourage urgency. So yes, we are absolutely great at setting the goals, but when it
comes to actually getting things done and making progress – is this really helpful?

You may think goals are the main focus to improve results. An article “Forget about
Setting Goals. Focus on This Instead.” from James Clear recommends the spotlight be put
onto “systems” instead of goals. In essence, systems constitute on the actions leading towards the
goals. So if you were a swimmer and you ignored the goal to win a competition and instead
focused only on training, recovery, and nutrition – you probably would still achieve results.
Goals are great for planning and systems are great for making progress and growth.

You may think that having a goal motivates you. But this might not be true. If you're an
entrepreneur, the goal is to build a million dollar business and they have achieved it – so what’s
there left with the goal to motivate them? Well, why not focus on the systems and let the systems
motivate you instead? Goals may provide you the direction, but systems will always be more
valuable in your progress.

None of this is to say that goals are useless. However, I've found that goals are good
for planning your progress and systems are good for actually making progress. Goals are
good. They can provide direction and even push you forward in the short-term, but a well-
designed system will lead to better results. Having a system is what matters. Committing to the
process is what makes the difference. Goals and systems, doing and being, results and purpose,
interlap. Goals are temporary milestones you set out to reach. Systems are permanent patterns of
thinking and behavior carved into your psyche.

The article is very well-written and it brings an important information and message to the
readers. To understand the concept of the differentiation between goals and systems, you should
establish a balance between the two. Use them as guidelines but don’t get too attached to them.
Focus on the systems instead – the process of being the person you’re trying to be.