{"id":773,"date":"2008-11-11T05:00:24","date_gmt":"2008-11-11T13:00:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/setting-goals-for-the-present-not-the-future\/"},"modified":"2013-08-19T12:04:44","modified_gmt":"2013-08-19T20:04:44","slug":"setting-goals-for-the-present-not-the-future","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/setting-goals-for-the-present-not-the-future\/","title":{"rendered":"Setting Goals For The Present, Not The Future"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\nImage courtesy of Wili Hybrid<\/a><\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

When you set goals for yourself, do you picture the benefits you\u2019ll receive in a year, five years, ten years? Do you struggle on day by day in activities you don\u2019t particularly enjoy \u2013 or actively dislike \u2013 because you want to reach a target some day in the distant future?<\/p>\n

You might want to rethink your approach to goals, and goal-setting.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve been reading Steve Pavlina\u2019s Personal Development for Smart People, and one of his recommendations that stood out for me was this:<\/p>\n

“Understand that you can only take action in the present moment, and you can only enjoy your results in the present as well. You can\u2019t accomplish or experience anything in the past or future because you\u2019re never there”. <\/em>(Chapter 3, Personal Development for Smart People<\/span><\/em><\/a>.)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

When Happiness Tomorrow Means Misery Today<\/h2>\n

How often do you try to root your happiness in achieving some future state? Here are some examples showing how goal-setting can go awry:
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