Goal setting: the holy grail or a trap in disguise?

Setting a goal is often the start of every runner’s journey. Goal setting in general is seen as the holy grail towards success. Scientifically it has proven to enhance performance. However, might there be a dark side to setting goals?

Before running my first marathon, I set myself a goal. I wanted to finish in under 3 hours. An ambitious goal, but something I had put my mind to. When I hit kilometer 34 of that marathon, everything came falling down. My legs gave up, I had cramps and felt nauseous. It goes without saying, I did not reach my goal. In that moment I felt disappointment and shame for failing. Purely looking at my goal, I had failed.

Many runners experience the same emotion at least once in their running journey. Some even stop running all together when they do not reach their goal or if it feels too far out of reach. A parallel can be drawn with new year’s resolutions. People set a goal, which goes well for a couple of days, sometimes even weeks. However, more often they fail, falling back into old habits. In goal setting happiness is seen as reachable only by accomplishing the goal. Along the way this leads to negative thoughts and self-doubt. Every time they have a setback they feel disappointment, embarrassment, … and let the goal take over. Slowly they start forgetting why they set the goal in the first place, and continue old habits.

It makes me think about how I set my goals. How can I make sure to diminish the amount of negative thoughts for both myself and my athletes? What is important to remember when setting goals?

Firstly, try not to hyperfocus on the finishing time of the race. Rather than looking at a set of numbers, look at the process of getting there. What will I have to do/what actions can I undertake to get where I want to be? Who do I have to become when I want to reach this goal? Answering these questions will give you a process, an identity to work towards. Otherwise the goal might feel unattainable because it is far from where/who you are.

Secondly, do not focus on the end goal during your training. Rather, look at where you came from, and compare yourself with who you were (and not others!). Did you show up to your trainings? Have you improved compared to 4-6 weeks ago? Seeing yourself progress, gets you motivated again, thus lighting that fire to push through.

Finally, imagine the end goal was not there, would you still put in the work? If you say yes, awesome, you are on the right track! If you find yourself answering no, you might want to reconsider why you are chasing this goal. Is it truly something you want to do, or is it more to gain outside validation? Try to find the joy and the fire within. This will give you fulfillment in the process rather than the goal itself.

‍

In the end, the feeling of ecstasy when crossing that finish line is temporary and often fades very fast. This alone should warn us that the goal is not where true joy lies. It is the enjoyment you find in the process of getting to the goal. So can we say that goal setting is the holy grail? Short answer is yes, when done right, a goal is a great motivator. However, be aware of self-doubt, and build in actions, process evaluations and self-evaluation to keep the fire within burning!