Background Behind Goals:
Setting goals is a very important task in our everyday life both as martial artists and as humans. We set goals individually, as a team, and even as a nation every single day. Though small goals can sometimes be challenging (i.e. getting out of bed in the morning), setting and achieving larger goals is much more complex. Sometimes setting goals is easy and achieving them is the hard part, however, sometimes even setting the goal is a challenging task. This blog will hopefully empower you to begin setting and achieving powerful goals.
What is the actual definition of a goal, anyway? According to Elliot Berkman’s paper on “The Neuroscience of Goals and Behavior Change” written in 2018, a goal is “any desired outcome that wouldn’t otherwise happen without some kind of intervention. In other words, a goal is a detour from the path of least resistance” (Berkman). Setting and achieving goals is based on motivation and cognitive functions. In Berkman’s terms, motivation is “the will” and cognitive functions are “the way.” “The way” refers to the means in which you will use to achieve that goal, A.K.A the skills, capacities, knowledge, attention, focus, inhibitory control, and working memory required to plan and execute the accomplishment. “The will” refers to an individual’s desire and importance of the behavior to complete the goal. This refers to the mindset of wanting the goal, prioritizing the actions it takes to achieve the goal, and having the motivation to engage in the tasks to achieve the goal (Berkman).
How do we obtain “the will” and “the way” to set and achieve goals? The basis of goal setting is the theory of neuroplasticity, which is defined as the “brain’s ability to change, remodel and reorganize for the purpose of better ability to adapt to new situations” (Demarin, et al). In other words, neuroplasticity refers to our neural pathways which are flexible and fluid instead of fixed. This is important for when we learn new skills, approach unfamiliar situations and need to compromise or change our path, and even when setting and achieving goals. In fact, neurological circuits in the brain act in concert when working toward a specific goal (Sheridan). Therefore, knowing biologically that our neurological pathways can change, we can better understand what our brain is overcoming when we achieve a goal that is challenging. When we face standstills, we need to rewire our neuronal pathways to create new pathways that will allow us to pass the finish line. Neuroplasticity allows us to do just that, giving us the ability to both set and achieve both our simple and complex goals.
Step 1: Set a Goal using the SMART strategy
Using the SMART strategy is a great way to begin strategically planning your goals. According to Aghera, et al., “An established model for developing actionable learning goals is the “SMART” framework. These goals are Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Time-bound. The SMART framework is easy to teach, easy to remember, and has been employed successfully across multiple disciplines, including medical education” (Aghera, et al). Using the SMART strategy is easy and ensures you are creating goals that are moderate and challenging, but also achievable. Use the SMART pneumonic below to set your goal plan:
Specific: The goal should be precise without confusion. Use key words to explain exactly what you are trying to achieve.
Non-specific: “I will be the best martial artist there ever was.”
Specific: “I am going to train my hardest to one day become a black belt in Shuri-Ryu karate.”
Measurable: The goal should be quantifiable and trackable.
Non-measurable: "I will randomly go to class and hope to get my black belt.”
Measurable: “I will go to 2 karate classes every week for 10 years to achieve my goal of becoming a black belt.”
Attainable: The goal should be achievable.
Non-attainable: “I will work hard, but only sometimes.”
Attainable: "I will work my hardest every class, even if I fail.”
Realistic: The goal should be something you can achieve using the skills you have or can realistically achieve.
Non-realistic: “I will not respect my dojo mates because I don’t feel like it.”
Realistic: “I will always abide by the Dojo Kun by practicing respect so that I can one day become a black belt.”
Time-bound: The goal should have clear time frames.
Non-time-bound: “At some point, I will get my black belt.”
Time-bound: “In 1 day, I will start karate, and in 10 years, I will get my black belt.”
Achieving Your Goals: Do’s and Don’t
Now that you’ve used the SMART strategy to plan your goal, it’s time to accomplish your goal. When it comes to achieving your goal, you will have success and failure. However, be sure to keep in mind that making errors is GOOD! Frustration allows the brain to refocus and create new neuronal pathways to learn. Other key terms to keep in mind is the difference between outcome-based training and performance-based training. Outcome-based training is execution with the consideration of success vs. failure (Sheridan). In other words, “I could do this technique and I might succeed, but what if I fail? What if the person next to me performs the technique better?” According to George Sheridan, “When you consider the outcome, it sabotages your ability to perform” (Sheridan). A better way to perform your tasks is performance-based training, where you work within your individual capability levels and do the best you can with your resources and abilities (Sheridan). This is the difference between individual success and comparing yourself to others, which is non-productive. Comparing yourself to others is useless because each person has different capabilities. Sensei states, “Regarding psychomotor skills, for the athletically inclined, it takes approximately 1,200 repetitions to develop the synapsis to connect mind and body for instinctive action. For those not athletically inclined, it takes approximately 2,000 repetitions to achieve the same goal” (Sheridan). This is a great example of the difference in each of our skills sets. Whether is takes you 1,200 or 2,000 reps, focus individually to get your work done, and stop comparing yourself to others.
Other Tips and Tricks to Achieve Your Goal:
· Perform your skills incrementally, not in large chunks.
· Make sure your tasks are moderately challenging but not overly challenging as you will become overwhelmed, which may cause you to fail.
· Success is based on attitude, aptitude, and desire. Focus on these things.
· To increase dopamine (a neurotransmitter or chemical messenger that increases the “feel good” feelings, motivation, and neuroplasticity), take cold showers. Cold showers increase dopamine levels by 2.5 times (Sheridan).
· Take a break when you need it and reward yourself with positive experiences! Setting and achieving goals requires executive function. It is effortful, conscious, and engaging (Berkman). According to Berkman, “There is simply no special physiological resource for executive function to deplete. The bottom line is that people get tired when they work hard – which is nothing new – but that, contrary to popular belief about ego depletion, that sense of fatigue is mostly psychological and can be short circuited by a short rest and a variety of positive experiences” (Berkman).
Conclusion
Wow, that was a lot! Setting and achieving goals is HARD! Nevertheless, goals are important to success in our lives. I will leave you with this quote from Lao Tzu: “By changing ourselves we change the world” (Macarie, et al). Though our goals are a lot of times individual, collectively, we are improving our lives, other peoples’ lives, and the world.
Works Cited
Aghera, Amish et al. “A Randomized Trial of SMART Goal Enhanced Debriefing after Simulation
to Promote Educational Actions.” The western journal of emergency medicine vol. 19,1
(2018): 112-120. doi:10.5811/westjem.2017.11.36524
Berkman, Elliot T. “The Neuroscience of Goals and Behavior Change.” Consulting
psychology journal vol. 70,1 (2018): 28-44. doi:10.1037/cpb0000094
Demarin, V, et. al. “Neuroplasticity.” Periodicum Biologorum, vol. 116, no. 2, 2014, pp. 209- 211,
Macarie, Iulius-Cezar and Roberts, Ron. “Martial Arts and Mental Health.” Contemporary
Psychotherapy.
Sheridan, George. “Setting and Achieving Goals.” Sheridan’s Martial Arts Center, 07 Sept 2022,
This was phenomenal. So many times while I have been attempting to learn a skill and if I came up short or did it wrong I would get so frustrated. I had not idea that failure was a good thing. Not to mention that I always would feel self conscious when others would pass me up and I would be like the last one done to accomplish a task. You information here really helps me understand better what is going on in my head while I am trying to learn. This will help me to control my frustrations better. Thanks!