Should we focus on our goal, or on the process?

What happened to Brenda Martinez, a US Olympic runner, may provide us with the answer. She lost her balance in the 800-meter run and failed to qualify for the Olympics. Instead of focusing on her failure, she prepared to win in the next race. “I just quickly let go of what happened in the 800m and got back to my routine, to focusing on all the little things I could do that would give me the best chance of running well later in the week,” she told New York Magazine. She said it was this mindset that led to her winning third place in the 1500-meter race about a week later to qualify for the Olympics in Rio. Instead of attaching herself to the goal of making the Olympic team, she concentrated on the process.

There is a problem with setting goals. Researchers from Harvard, the University of Pennsylvania and Northwestern found that overemphasizing goals based on measurable outcomes often leads to risk-taking, unethical (不道德的) behavior and reduced motivation. Their results were published in a Harvard Business School report titled Goals Gone Wild: The Systematic Side Effects of Over-Prescribing Goal Setting.

When you become overly focused on achieving the goal, you may lose sight of your original purpose for accomplishing the goal in the first place. Another danger is actually completing the goal without setting a plan for what’s next. For example, some marathon runners experience what’s called the “post-race blues”. Achieving your goal may cause you to drop the good habits that got you there in the first place. Dieters often experience this in what’s called “yo-yo dieting” when they drop down to a desired weight, but then gain all the weight back when they resume (重新开始) their bad habits.

“After you set a goal, it’s best to shit your focus from the goal itself to the process that gives you the best chance of achieving it and to judge yourself based on how well you complete that process,” columnist Brad Stulberg wrote on the website The Cut.

Ultimately, changing your attention from goals to process will cause you to achieve little victories on your way to accomplishing long-term goals. Amy Cuddy, a Harvard Business School psychology professor, wrote that focusing on this process “leaves you with a sense of satisfaction and accomplishment, regardless of the measurable outcome”.

It was June a few years ago right around the Summer Solstice, the longest day of the year.   A few weeks earlier the first fireflies had appeared blinking (眨眼) their lights on and off in the woods around my house. What a joy it was seeing them again. Their little flickers (闪耀) of light made me smile with delight.

Now as the daylight was starting to fade I saw out my window some of the neighborhood children attempting to catch the slow moving lightening bugs. One of the girls went inside and came back with a clear, glass jar. After chasing a few without success she finally caught a firefly inside it. All the other children gathered around to watch it flickering its light on and off inside the jar. Soon darkness started to fall and the children’s Mom walked over to them and told them it was time to set the firefly free. One of the girls protested but the Mom explained that the firefly would die if left in the jar. Then she said something that still stays in my heart to this day: “It is time to let this little guy go so he can share his light with the rest of the world!”

I remember when I was a little boy we all used to sing the song, “This little light of mine, I’m going to let it shine!” But as adults we find it hard to do so. We dwell on (老是想着) the darkness too much and in fear keep our light hidden away. Don’t hide your light. Don’t keep it in a jar. Share your flickers, no matter how small they may be. Let the love inside you out. Let the glow within you drive the darkness away.