Why you should stop setting goals (yes, really) | Emmanuel Acho

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4.1 • 11.9K Ratings

🗓️ 6 September 2023

⏱️ 13 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In athletics, in business, in life, everyone sets goals. But that's not the way to excel, according to former NFL player Emmanuel Acho, now an author and TV sports analyst. Here's what he says to do instead.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Ted Audio Collective
0:10.8	I'm Elise Hugh, you're listening to Ted Talks daily.
0:13.7	You probably hear a lot about setting goals, going for goals, fixating on goals.
0:19.8	But Emmy-winning host Immanuel Acho says, don't do that.
0:24.0	In his Ted 2023 talk, the former football player, offers his take on how to get better
0:29.4	without setting goals after a sponsor message.
0:33.9	Hey everyone, it's Adam Graham.
0:39.0	Welcome to Rethinking, my podcast on the Science of What Makes Us Tick.
0:43.8	I'm an organizational psychologist, and I'm taking you inside the minds of fascinating
0:48.2	people to explore how they think and what we should all rethink.
0:53.7	This season, NFL linebacker turned best-selling author Immanuel Acho, tells us why he has
0:58.8	a problem with goals.
1:00.7	The goal by definition is an end towards which energy is ain't.
1:05.1	But why in the world would I start something with the end in mind?
1:10.0	Find and follow Rethinking with Adam Graham, wherever you're listening.
1:17.7	I do not suppose to know everything.
1:21.0	And those closest to me, they might say, I don't really know much at all, but one thing
1:26.9	that I know to be true beyond the shadow of a doubt is this.
1:32.9	The surest way to fail in life is to set a goal.
1:39.8	Now, unfortunately, I found this out through excruciating pain, but hopefully in the next
1:47.0	nine minutes, I can convince you too that this is true without the pain unless, of course,
1:53.3	you consider listening to me painful.
	...

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