Swapnil Devre Explains in this interview why goals are a double-edged sword that can either cut you or help you to grow. He will explain why a certain approach to goal setting can make people underperform and another approach can help you push your own limits
When asked about how have goals made a difference in his life, Swapnil Devre said that “Goals are like a scale, they have to have an element that I can measure in it otherwise it’s just daydreaming. And the measurable element could be anything, it could be the amount of money that I make every month, it could be the number of reps or amount of weights that I lift. Once I get a measurable indicator of progress I get addicted to it. Because these measurable indicators of progress act like points or scores in a video game.”
“But if I set a goal where I have no way to determine at what rate I am progressing I don’t feel motivated to do it. For example, after I learned to play guitar and joined a band. I practiced all day long with them but there was no measurable progress to be seen so I quit. Because there was no feedback for the effort that I put into it. I try to find positive feedback loops in everything in life. They give me something to chase and the shorter the feedback loop the better it is.
If I measure my weight and count my reps I find that extremely interesting but if my goal was just to build a better body then there is nothing much to feel motivated about after the first few days”
So what are the drawbacks of goal setting or do you think there are any drawbacks? Here is what Swapnil Devre said.
“Vague goals are dangerous, you must try to find a measurable indicator of progress. Otherwise, it’s just hard. Attempting to achieve your big dreams and goals in one large sweep is just wishful thinking. Every day you have to work at something and your larger goals cannot motivate you every day especially when the pain and laziness kick in. So find something that you can measure accurately and keep your eye on that. The short term motivation is dependent on these measurable indicators of progress.”.
Swapnil Devre’s tip for people that are looking for motivation is “A short feedback loop is much more useful than a long term feedback loop. For example, measuring your progress once a month is less effective than measuring it every day. So measure as often as possible. If you are trying to be good at sales then measure progress based on how far you reach in a sales call. Are you good till introduction or till your pitch or till you tell the customer the price. Break the sales call into small stages and tackle it one at a time.
About the Swapnil Devre
Swapnil Devre is the Founder and CEO of Upstage Marketing / PR. You can connect with him on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram.
