“People do not decide their futures. They decide their habits and their habits decide their futures.” – Matthias Alexander
How it all started?
In the past, whenever I didn’t achieve a goal, I always used to blame myself by saying:
- I’m not motivated enough
- I’m not as good as other people who achieve their goals
- I’m a born loser
- I’m doomed to fail
- I don’t want my goal bad enough
- I will never achieve this goal in my life
These are the stories I used to tell myself constantly. I’m sure some of you can relate to them. My whole focus used to be on goals like losing 20 pounds, making millions of dollars, reading a certain number of books per year, etc. But, I failed. Not once, but multiple times. After I read a couple of books on goals, I realized that I was completely wrong. I was looking at the problem from the wrong side.
My Inflection Point:
What I realized was that instead of thinking in terms of ‘goals’, I needed to be thinking in terms of ‘systems’. This is one of the first times I realized that a slight shift in mindset can make a significant impact on your life.
I will expand more on what a system is and the difference between goals and systems but here is one beautiful quote from the book ‘Atomic Habits’ that completely changed my mindset on goals:
“Goals can provide direction and even push you forward in the short-term, but eventually a well-designed system will always win. Having a system is what matters.” – James Clear
Bear in mind that I’m not completely against goals but having goals isn’t just enough. For example, two people might have the same goal of losing 10 pounds. If one person achieves it and the other doesn’t, it isn’t the goal that made the difference but the systems he formed to lose that weight.
Enough on the background, let’s just dive right into the ‘systems’ thinking.
What is ‘systems’ thinking?
In simple terms, a system is a process that one does consistently. Let’s say if you have a goal of losing 10 pounds, your system might be to work out consistently and eat well. It may sound simple but the beauty of this concept is: it works – it just works. How many people beat themselves up for not losing weight instead of focusing on working out and eating well consistently?
Systems vs Goals?
James Clear says, “Goals are about the results you want to achieve. Systems are about the processes that lead to those results.”
Eg: If you want to become wealthy, your goal might be to have million dollars. Your system is how often you save, invest, take care of your finances, etc.
Having a system is more important than goals because let’s say you don’t have a goal of having million dollars but you still consistently save and invest in the market. It is highly likely that you will end up with million dollars.
Author Scott Adams says, “everyone who pursues a goal has some sort of system to get there, whether it is expressed or not.” This reminded me of countless examples of people around me who achieved goals actually did by having a system.
Look at your surroundings and think of your friends who stay fit and are wealthy. It is most likely that they have a system and they are consistent with it.
The downside of having goals:
There are multiple downsides of having just goals. Having a goal will may you feel like a failure because until you achieve your goal you feel like a loser. You will celebrate right after achieving your goal. Once you achieve your goal, you feel empty and useless.
On the other hand, if you have a system, you win every day because your system is to work out, save and read consistently. As long as you apply your system, you’re winning every day. In my case, my system is to work out every day and I feel good about myself every time I work out because I applied my system.
More on Goals vs Systems:
Goals have a deadline whereas systems don’t. Successful people follow systems, not goals. Every successful person who reached their goal has a system behind it. So, instead of focusing on goals, focus on systems.
“Focus on inputs. Outputs will fix themselves.”
– James Clear
| Area | Goal | System |
|---|---|---|
| Diet | Losing 20 lbs | Eating right |
| Exercise | Running a marathon | Working out daily |
| Wealth | Making a million dollars | Investing consistently |
The score takes care of itself
Coach Bill Walsh says, “the score takes care of itself” by which he means if you put in the work and do it consistently, you will get results automatically. Goals are useful to come up with a system, but it is ultimately the system that counts.
Let’s take the example of three people. Person A has a goal of losing 10 pounds but no system. Person B has a goal of losing 10 pounds and a system. Person C doesn’t have a goal but has a system. The system here is to eat well and exercise regularly.
| Person | Goal | System |
|---|---|---|
| A | Lose 10 lbs | None |
| B | Lose 10 lbs | Eat right and exercise |
| C | None | Eat right and exercise |
Who do you think is most likely to lose 10 pounds? You guessed it right – Person B and Person C.
And, why? Because they have a system. Despite having a goal, Person A didn’t lose that weight. Even though C didn’t have a goal of losing 10 pounds, he still lost. What made the difference? The system.
American Basketball Coach John Wooden beautifully said, “The score will take care of itself when you take care of the effort that precedes the score.”
It’s absolutely true and I strongly believe in ‘systems’ thinking. To know how I implemented this philosophy in my life, check Part 2 of this article here.