Transcripts
1. Introduction: Have you ever
accomplished a goal that was equally difficult
and rewarding? And when you look
back at the process, you can't really
remember the details. It was like you were
detached from your body, and the magical thing you produced just suddenly appeared. You know you did the
work. You were there. But somehow it seems like a mystical force was
at work alongside you. Not only did you
achieve your goal, but you physically and mentally
enjoyed the challenge. The state of flow is
a powerful force in energizing our efforts and motivating us to
achieve our goals. But how do we find
this flow state? How can we create the perfect
balance of challenge and reward so that our body
responds with ease and flow? In this class, we'll find our flow state while we map
our most meaningful goals, making sure they align
with our bodies, senses, and emotions, and ultimately support our desired identities? Embodied goal setting, sometimes called
sematic goal setting, connects our sensory
experiences with our habits to reinforce
our desired self concept. Ultimately helping us achieve our most meaningful goals
in a way that feels good. It helps us anticipate and overcome obstacles
and goes beyond typical sources of
motivation to make sure our daily habits and
surroundings are supporting our goals
at a cellular level. This class is for
ambitious individuals who not only have big goals, but want to enjoy the
journey of pursuing them. I wanted to share the process I follow because I've seen, felt, and even tasted the benefits
of this approach to goal setting in my own
life as an ambitious, multi hyphenate
entrepreneur and creative. During a particularly
tumultuous time in my life, I realized I needed to
feel peace in order to finally put myself
first and pursue my goals. I wrote a list of
peaceful life things in my notes app and realized
they were all sensory. I wanted to be surrounded
by the sight, smells, sounds, taste, colors, and textures that would give
me a sense of peace. As I started prioritizing
these sensory experiences, not only have I
made some progress on some of my biggest goals, but I've actually enjoyed the process of pursuing
and achieving them, which in itself has
been a driving force. Embodied or somatic goal
setting is an ongoing practice that I incorporate into my daily personal and
professional life, and I've shared this practice
with fellow entrepreneurs, artists, students, wellness
professionals, and more. The response has been
overwhelmingly positive, and so I've decided to
share my process here. You might know from my
previous skill share classes. I always practice what I preach. So I'll be following along with my own goal setting as I
prepare for an ambitious goal, my first solo art show
in almost a decade. So in this class, I'll share
my process step by step, and you'll map a pathway to achieving your biggest goals in a way that cultivates
your flow state and feels uniquely good to you. The road to achieving
your goals will look, feel, taste, sound,
and even smell good. You'll find your
flow and achieve even more than you set
out to at the start. We'll start by considering
our sensory environments and stacking some attainable habits that move us toward our goals. Then we'll dig into
where we find our flow, plan ahead to anticipate
and overcome obstacles, map our specific goals, and then tied it
all together with some exercises to connect
our bodies and our minds. Join me in the next video
where we'll take a look at the class exercises and how to set yourself up for success.
2. Class Orientation: Before we dive into
some background on embodied goal setting and
why it's so powerful, let's take a look at
the class project, a series of exercises that are designed to connect your
sensory experiences with your daily habits
in a way that not only supports your sense
of self and your identity, but helps you find
your flow state and achieve your biggest goals. This series of exercises
is iterative with each step building on
the last to create a process you can follow
regardless of your goal. We'll start with imagining
our ideal sensory environment and considering how
all five senses can work together to
support our goals. Next, we'll connect our habits with our desired identities and craft implementation
intentions that are realistic and get us closer
to achieving our goals. After that, we'll
identify the ways we can achieve flow while
pursuing our goals. We'll consider the obstacles
we might encounter along the way and how we
can not only overcome them, but build our self efficacy to increase our
chances of success. We'll map our specific goals
in a way that connects our bodies and our minds to
set ourselves up for success. And we'll finish the class
with some somatic practices we can incorporate into
our daily lives to strengthen this connection. You can use the
classwork book and the resource section
or notebook and Pen, whatever feels best for you. To start things off, right,
make sure you're in a space that's comfortable
and allows you to focus without distractions. Make your favorite snack, light your favorite candle, and settle in to focus on
yourself for a while. We'll get started with
a quick background on embodied goal
setting and why it's essential for not only
achieving our biggest goals, but enjoying the
journey on the path to success regardless of the
outcome. Let's dive in.
3. What is Embodied Goal Setting?: How do you typically
approach your goals? Do you write a list and build out the tasks you
need to accomplish? Maybe you set deadlines and build in little
rewards along the way. Do you have an accountability partner who keeps you on track? We often approach the
process of achieving our goals and dreams
as a mental activity. We mind map, brainstorm, and create detailed plans to get us closer to an end goal. I make a lot of lists. I use project management
software to track my tasks, and my Google calendar is color coded within
an inch of its life. It's certainly useful to
write down the step by step tasks that we need to accomplish to reach
our objectives. But in doing so, we often neglect important
parts of the equation. The physical body that's
doing these tasks and the emotions we feel
as we pursue our goals. At its most basic,
a goal is a result or an achievement that
energy is directed towards. Our mental energy is certainly
important in this pursuit, but our powerful mind
body connection is often underestimated when
it comes to pursuing our goals. Consider this. When something resonates
with you on a deep level, your body responds
with a natural sense of ease and fluidity. But when there's a disconnect
with your true self, you might notice tension, discomfort, and not
in your stomach. Within our bodies lies a
wealth of wisdom and insight, often drowned out by the
noise of everyday life. This class aims to reignite our connection with our bodies, allowing us to
develop a practice that extends beyond list making. The connection between
our minds and bodies is often neglected in traditional
goal setting approaches. We become so entangled
in rationality and analysis that we lose
touch with our physical self. Embracing an embodied
or somatic approach urges us to re establish trust in our bodily
sensations and emotions as valuable
sources of guidance. Embodied or somatic goal
setting is distinct from traditional goal
setting techniques which are typically
focused on the future. Embodied goal setting
is present minded and focuses on our senses and our sense of
self in the present. Embodied goal setting
brings our attention to the present moment
and how we can use our senses to move
toward our goals, allowing us to embark
on our journeys with a deep understanding of the emotional fuel that's
propelling us toward success. Benefits of an embodied
approach include, firstly, embodied goal setting allows us to uncover
sources of resistance. By identifying the habits that align with our true
sense of self, embodied goal setting
helps us identify areas of resistance or barriers
to achieving our goals. I know in my art practice
that I'm quick to make excuses for not painting.
I don't have the time. The canvases aren't stretched, my studio is too
hot or too cold. There's no shortage
of resistance. But by focusing
on the habits and sensory experiences that I enjoy in the art making process, I can bypass these blockages. Secondly, this approach to goal setting embraces
authenticity. In a world where we feel
constant pressure to live up to standards and
achieve traditional goals, it can be challenging to discern what our true desires
and dreams are. The embodied approach
we're going to practice today empowers
us to cut through the layers of conditioning and external influences and
rediscover our authentic selves. As a creative and
an entrepreneur, and inundated with what
traditional success looks like. Practicing embodied goal setting refocuses my efforts
on what success looks, feels, smells, tastes
and sounds like to me. Third, embodied goal
setting nurtures self care. Setting and working towards
goals can be very stressful, leading to procrastination,
avoidance, and other unhelpful habits. We push ourselves to
achieve perfection, grapple with imposture syndrome, comparing ourselves to successful
people on the Internet, and ultimately
wasting our energy. Embodied goal setting reinforces a compassionate connection
with ourselves that proactively protects us from these obstacles and grows stronger as we
practice self care. I can fall down the
rabbit hole of watching hugely successful artists
share their work online, and it's very hard to not compare myself to
their processes, their studio setup,
and their success. Embodied goal setting lets me take things step
by step and build healthy habits that nurture self compassion as
I pursue my goals. Fourth, embodied goal setting strengthens our mind
body connection. Our bodies are the things doing the work alongside our
minds, and they're powerful. Developing a
practice that aligns and enhances the mind
body connection makes it easy to take cues
from your body and identify what feels right
as you pursue your goals. By focusing on the sensory and physical experience
of creating art. I know what's physically
realistic and where I can find
enjoyment in the process. And so I can double down on those elements to
enhance my experience, and ultimately keep me going on the path to
achieving my goals. Lastly, embodied goal setting helps reduce stress and
improves our well being. The approach we're taking today isn't limited to goal setting. Ultimately, it enhances our overall well being
and enjoyment of life. By finding pleasure
in our journey, we reduce the mental and physical stress our
bodies otherwise experience from the
relentless pursuit of traditional success. Making art can be physically
and mentally demanding, and placing pressure
on myself to achieve an arbitrary measure of
success just makes it worse. Embodied goal setting allows me to focus on my
overall well being, which ultimately reduces
stress and gives me more energy to keep
moving towards my goals. By embracing an embodied
approach to pursuing our goals, we'll not only achieve
success in our endeavors, but will also embark on a
path to a more balanced, connected and fulfilling life. Our minds and our bodies
will thank us for it. Now that we have an
understanding of the benefits of
embodied goal setting, and how it's distinct
from traditional methods of pursuing our goals. Let's get started with
the first exercise. Join me in the next video
where I will consider how our environment and
our senses can help set us up for success.
I'll see you there. O
4. Exercise 1: Design Your Environment for Sensory Success: I have some bad news. We're 40% less likely to achieve a goal if we simply focus on
the outcome of that goal. Even being incredibly
motivated to achieve that outcome doesn't mean we're going to get there. Motivation is the
driving force that helps us achieve our
goals and dreams. It's that spark that
ignites a fire within us and gives us the energy
to pursue our passions. So why is motivation not enough? Often, motivation is extrinsic. It's based on something outside of our bodies and
our sense of self. Setting a goal of being
a millionaire does nothing to connect the goal
to our inner sense of self. If this ambition isn't grounded in our bodies
at a sensory level, we can easily get
lost along the way. Motivation might fail
us for a few reasons. First, our bodies and our
brains might not be aligned. We want to be a millionaire, but our bodies want to nap
because the idea of pursuing that goal is overwhelming and causes us to feel
stress and discomfort. Second, internal and external obstacles might
stand in our way, and we're not quite sure
how to overcome them. Third, motivation ebbs
and flows like the tides. Sometimes it comes
as a tidal wave, and we feel nothing
can hold us back, but it can also
quickly recede if we don't have the right tools
in place to sustain it. As an artist and
an entrepreneur, I don't pursue a project until it's something I can't
shake from my brain. It has to be something
that is all consuming, keeps me up at night
with excitement, even if it's
ambitious and scary, especially if it's
ambitious and scary. It's an instinctual drive
that I feel in my body. In other words, my
body is sending me signals that this thing is worth pursuing because it feels right. As a note, creating
skill share classes, sharing my insights,
and interacting with students gives
me that same feeling. So how does an embodied approach help us build and maintain motivation that
actually translates into action and results? This process uses techniques like visualization, mindfulness, and intention setting to help us focus on our true
motivations and desires and to create habits that enhance our mind
body connection. We perceive the world
through our senses, sight, sound, smell,
touch, and taste. Our sense of vision
is a survival sense, and so our body devotes an incredible amount
of resources to it. 10 million of our 11
million sensory receptors are dedicated to sight. Visual cues influence our
behavior more than we realize. Visual cues are the greatest
catalyst of our behavior. A small change in what you can see can lead to a big
shift in what you do. Through our embodied
goal setting practice? We'll practice visualization
and get specific about the environment that gives us the greatest chance of not
only achieving our goals, but enjoying the process? Psychologist Kurt Lewin said Behavior is a function of a
person in their environment. Think about the place
that makes you feel most productive and most at ease
while we're being productive. What does it look
like? Are you sitting, standing or moving
around in the space? Is there a lot of natural light, or is it dim and lit by
candles and salt lamps? What kind of textures are in the space? How does it smell? Are the windows open, letting
in the summer breeze, or are you burning
your favorite incense? How does it taste? Do you have your favorite
te blend at the ready or a favorite snack
to keep you fueled? How does it sound? Do you have low fi beats humming
in the background, or do you prefer
silence and stillness? For the first exercise, take a moment to tap
into your senses and describe the kind of environment that creates a sense of bees. We'll be using
these sensory cues to stack our habits
in a way that increases our chances of success and aligns with
our sense of self. When I first moved
into my house, I tried making art in
the guest bedroom, which also functioned as an
office and a workout space. I was interrupted and
distracted frequently because the space wasn't separate from the
rest of my life. I also had a very furry and adorable black cat
who tended to shed, leaving tiny black fur
all over my fresh paint. This was not a space that
would set me up for success, and so my painting
practice suffered. I have a detached garage and
had a vision of converting the bare bones loft space into a studio that would keep
the rest of the world out. A very generous friend,
who's a homebuilder, got excited about the
prospect of turning the space into a studio,
and we went to work. I found some new windows, well, not new, on market place. Steel stairs at a scrap yard, and my friend made sure the
new studio was insulated, wired, and lit in a way that was functional and
desirable for me. A big part of my
process is staring at my progress while
I plan my next move, so he made space for a
comfortable resting area that would give
me a full view of my easel and also allow for naps in between long
sprints of painting. I brought in a turntable
and records and eventually a bluetooth
speaker system so that I wouldn't have to stop
painting to flip a record over. I was designing my space
at a sensory level to increase the pleasure I felt while pursuing my
ambitious goals. The result, I
painted a solo show, sold every piece, and gained interest for commissions
and other projects. The even bigger result, my motivation persisted
because I had created an environment that strengthened
my mind body connection. It was a self reinforcing
loop that made it easy to ignore the
excuses I previously had, distractions, cat,
for lack of space, and focus on the
pleasure in the process. The takeaway from
this lesson is that to the best of our
abilities and resources, we want to design
our environments for success at a sensory level. Try to get creative to source the materials that feel sound, taste, smell and
look best to you. Even a small step in the
right direction will have a big impact on enhancing the way you feel as
you pursue your goals. Share your description of your ideal environment in
the class discussion, so we can all visualize and be inspired by your
dream setting. The next step is to focus on our habits and stack
them in a way that taps into those sensory rewards and brings us closer to
achieving our goals. Join me in the next lesson.
5. Exercise 2: Stacking Feel-Good Habits & Implementation Intentions : We talked about how motivation isn't enough to get
us to our goals. The reality is behavior that is incongruent with our sense
of self simply won't last. So how do we identify the
behaviors that are congruent? And how do we build on
them in a way that brings us closer to our goals
in a sustainable way? We do this by focusing
on our habits, and not just our usual habits, brushing our teeth,
taking out the garbage. We want to focus on the habits
that feel good and support our sense of self
because they're the ones that are
most likely to lat. Simply put, habits
are behaviors that are repeated enough times
to become automatic. This repetition, our identity
emerges from our habits. The habits we repeat are
rewarded or punished, and we form our sense of self from this conditioning
and experience. In other words, your habits are how you embody
your identity. The more you repeat a behavior, the more you reinforce
that identity. Back when I was
struggling to get a painting done or
even get one started, I wouldn't have considered
myself an artist. I was stressed out and feeling
pressure to create work. I wasn't setting myself up for success with my environment, and so my behaviors or
habits didn't develop in a way that supported my
goals or my sense of self. As I created a space that made it easy to behave as an artist, to stack my habits in a way that supported my practice,
I did exactly that. I committed to showing my work, got into a routine of painting early in the mornings
before my day job, when the world was
quiet and I could focus exclusively on
the task at hand, and my behavior supported the idea that I was,
in fact, an artist. I built a perpetually
self reinforcing practice of feel good habits
that help me achieve my goals because they supported my desired identity or sense of self. So
how do we do this? It's said that neurons that fired together,
wired together. And through embodied
goal setting, we want to connect
our habits in a way that build a strong
neural pathway, conditioning
ourselves, our bodies, and our minds to create self reinforcing
patterns of behaviors. It's really the
hack to motivation. We're developing patterns
of feel good behaviors or habits that ultimately support and reinforce our sense of self. We're not just telling
ourselves we're a successful creative or entrepreneur
or graded our jobs. We're actually behaving in a way that supports the self concept. If you're familiar with the book atomic habits by James Clear, you might know that to
create a desirable habit, we want to make it obvious, attractive, easy,
and satisfying. I will note that I
have a disclaimer on the idea that
it should be easy, but we'll get to that
when we talk about finding our flow state
in the next lesson. So In this exercise, we're going to use the framework of implementation intentions and connect them to
our desired sense of self or identity, simply by writing out
our desired identity and habits and getting
them out of our heads, or taking a step in
the right direction. We're also validating whether these habits are realistic and likely to form a
behavior pattern that helps us achieve our goals. We'll begin with a
simple statement of our desired identity and
we'll state it as a fact. So complete the sentence. I am a person who is a blank. In my case, I would say, I am a person who is a productive
and successful artist. Boom. I'm committed. The next step is to write out our implementation
intentions that stack our habits in a way that supports our
desired identity. The structure of an
implementation intention is simply after I
blank, I will blink. The key element of this
framework is to first identify a habit you already
have that you enjoy. Think back to the
previous lesson where you designed your ideal environment
based on what looks, feels, smells, taste,
and sounds good. What are the behaviors or habits you're already doing
that feel good? Well, can you stack on top of those habits to
create a chain of behaviors that not
only bring you closer to your goals,
but feel good. In my case, I would say, after I make my morning coffee, I'll grab a snack and turn on the space
heater in the studio. Then after I turn on
the space heater, I will turn on my studio flow
state playlist on Spotify. Then, after I turn
on my playlist, I'll mix the colors I need for the next step
of my painting. After I mix the colors, I'll start working
on the next section or layer of my painting. Before I know it,
I'm in the zone. I've forgotten my coffee
and my snack completely. Ask any artists and have a
story of accidentally drinking their paint water
because they were too zoned in on their
work to notice. Let's examine the
sequence of habits. My morning coffee is already
something I do that I enjoy, so I'm already off
to a good start. I can't go wrong with taking
the snack to the studio. I'm going to make sure
the temperature is comfortable. Feeling
good already. Next, I'll set the tone
with my favorite playlist, and it will set me
up to get moving on why I'm in the
studio to paint. The more I repeat this chain
of behaviors that align with my desired sense of self the more they become
automatic, a habit. So I've turned the goal
of creating artwork into a habit that I enjoy and
it's self fulfilling. Your turn, write
out your sequence of implementation intentions, making sure they support
the desired identity you committed to paper the
first part of the exercise. Share your intentions in
the class discussion for feedback or to inspire
your fellow students. Next, we'll find
that balance between feeling tease and achieving
challenging things. We'll find our flow state.
Join me in the next video.
6. Exercise 3: Finding Your Flow State: So why do artists drink
their paint water? Why is it that when I look back at time lapses of my paintings, I am absolutely bewildered
that it's in fact me painting. Where was my mind
during this process, and why did I enjoy it so much? Mei chicks Miha, an American Hungarian
psychologist pioneered the study of flow, the state in which
we're so immersed in a task that the rest of the
world seems to melt away. My favorite state of being, and it's a way to supercharge the pursuit of our goals because it's such a powerfully
rewarding way of connecting our
minds and bodies. The concept of flow reflects
the idea that if we can learn to focus on the process
rather than the outcome, we're substantially more likely to enjoy a task and
make it a habit. Flow state focuses
us on the process at a balance of conscious
and non conscious states. So how on Earth do we do that? I mentioned earlier
that although easy habits are
easy to stick to, in order to move forward
in pursuing our goals, we want to make sure
we build in habits or behaviors that are just
manageably difficult. This concept is also known
as the Goldilocks rule. Basically, we tap into
our flow state when tasks are just on the edge
of our current abilities. They're not too easy or too
hard. They're just right. Famously, Steve Martin built his comedy career
so incrementally that it's easy to dismiss his pathway to stardom
as overnight success. He began with 1
minute stand up sets, sometimes without
even an audience. He would return week after week incrementally adding a
minute or two to his set. Challenging himself with
just a bit more each time. Even if it meant he
stood in silence in front of the crowd for that
extra minute, he showed up. By increasing the difficulty of the task by a small
amount each time, it increased his desire, his motivation, and
his self efficacy. Ultimately, it supported
his desired identity of being a successful comedian. As he practiced, his comedy
improved and the reward he got from crowds made it even easier to keep
working harder. My guess is that because of
this incremental challenge, Steve Martin experienced a flow state while
he was on stage performing his routine and likely while he was writing
and rehearsing, as well. So how do we put this
into practice and find this elusive flow state
while pursuing our goals? In this exercise, we'll work through a series
of questions to uncover the situations
that are most likely to bring us
into a state of flow. To start, let's ask ourselves. What feels like fun to me, but as work to others? Can you think of a scenario where people often react with? Wow. I have no idea
how you do that. Or you must really love that if you're willing to put
in that much effort. I could never In my
painting example, I would say I get
that reaction after I share process videos
or my final work. I truly enjoy painting, and I've developed
my skills since my first art class in a church basement when
I was 3-years-old. There's actual hard work and practice that has gone into it, and so it's not doable
by just anyone. For someone who hasn't
practiced art or specifically large
scale acrylic realism, it likely seems to be an overwhelming activity
that is out of reach. But to me, it's been a gradual fulfilling practice
that I enjoy. Next, we want to answer what
makes me lose track of time. What's the activity you
do in the pursuit of your goals that when you're
forced back into awareness, you can't believe how
much time has passed. In my case, I have to set an alarm if I have to be
somewhere when I'm painting. Otherwise, I just won't stop. At least not until my eyes can't stay open or
I'm weak from hunger. I don't recommend
working to that point, but it's a clear indicator
that this activity makes me lose all sense of time
and the world around me. So what is it that you
do that has this effect? The next question we
want to answer is, where do I get greater returns
than the average person? Now, you can think of this
literally in terms of financial returns or other
traditional metrics, or you can think of it
as intrinsic rewards. Is there something you're
doing that invariably produces greater results than
what someone else tries? Is there something
that makes you feel especially satisfied regardless of whether it brings more money to your bank account? In my case, I've seen success with my art sales
that I'm happy with, but I also feel
intrinsically satisfied with the results
of my paintings, even if they don't sell. Next, ask, what comes
naturally to me? What is it that you're
doing in your journey to pursuing your goals
that feels natural? Where does your body
feel that sense of ease we spoke of
earlier in the class? In my case, mixing colors with accuracy is something
I can't explain, but it comes naturally. Of course, it's from
years of practice, but I've also done eye tests, and it's something in my visual perception system
that just works well. So in my practice, I
get a huge sense of satisfaction when I'm able to
mix the exact color I need, and I think that translates as one of the reasons
people enjoy my work. So what comes naturally
to you? Write it down. Lastly, tapping into the
concept of the Goldilocks rule, ask yourself, where do I enjoy challenging
myself to achieve more? What gives you that sense
of accomplishment because you know it was a bit harder than the last time you tried? Where can you build in that just manageably
difficult increment to find more satisfaction
and accomplishment? In my case, I'll commit to a show that has a
challenging deadline or I'll accept a
commission where I feel challenged to deliver a
piece to a picky patron. It helps me get out
of a routine of painting things I
simply enjoy and adds an element of challenge
that I know is difficult but achievable
if I put in the work. So where do you enjoy
challenging yourself? Where can you incrementally add a bit more
difficulty each time? From this exercise,
hopefully you have a sense of where you
can find your flow state and experience the
mind body connection that leads to seemingly
magical results. Share your answers in
the class discussion to inspire the rest of us. If you're a multi hyphenate like me with lots of
interests and passions, chances are there's
more than one area where you can find your flow. This can make it
difficult to focus your goals and decide
on a course of action. But rest assured you
can use the process for following today to help achieve any and
all of your goals. For insight on how to
harness your skills and make sense of your
multi hypinit passions, I recommend checking out skill share classes by Emma Gannon. So far, we've designed our
ideal sensory environment, staffed our feel good habits in a way that
supports our sense of self and identified
the perfect storm that creates a flow state. Next, we'll consider some
inevitable obstacles along the way and how
embodied goal setting can help us overcome them. Join me in the next video.
7. Exercise 4: Anticipating & Overcoming Obstacles: We've painted a rosy picture of easy flowing energy and good feelings in the
pursuit of our goals, but tough days are unavoidable. On those days, it's
important to have as many things working in
our favor as possible. Basically, the less
friction we face, the easier it is for our strong
embodied self to emerge. Of course, we can't avoid obstacles or make
everything easy, but the idea is to
make it as easy as possible in the moment to do things that pay
off in the long run. Before we tie all
of our exercises together with our goal mapping, I want us to wrap our
heads around some of the most common
obstacles we might face when we're
pursuing big goals, and chat about some techniques we can use to minimize
their impact. What happens when you just
can't find the motivation, no matter what you've done to set yourself up for success? We've all been there.
One approach I use is to try reflecting on the deeper purpose
behind my goal. In my case, I would say that creating a body of artwork gives me a sense of pride
and satisfaction that I don't get anywhere else. And even if I don't sell
a single piece of work, I'll feel that same sense
of pride and achievement. Write down how achieving
your goal aligns with your values and brings
you personal fulfillment. What if we just can't get past the habit of
procrastination? I like to try the
two minute rule. I'll identify small,
actionable steps within the habits on stacking and commit to completing
them right away. Chances are if I turn
the space heater on or mix a paint color,
there's no turning back. Even if I tell myself, I just have to
commit to 2 minutes, I always end up staying
for the long haul. This two minute commitment
to a habit builds momentum and minimizes the
impact of procrastination. As an ambitious, high
achieving creative person, it can be very easy
to overcommit, especially in the world of constant communication and unending expectations
we live in. Something that works
well for me in all areas of my life
is time blocking. When I see my calendar, color coded, and all its glory, it's an easy way to
determine if I actually have the time in my schedule
to commit to something. From there, I get
to practice saying no and practice asking for help. Two things I'm not
very good at doing, because I have a clear
visual of what's actually feasible in the
spacetime continuum. With practice, it gets easier to politely decline
additional commitments and focus on the most
impactful activities that will get you closer
to achieving your goals. I know I don't like painting for less than 3 hours because
it takes time to set up, get into a groove, make
sufficient progress to make an impact on the
piece, and then clean up. So I block enough time
in my calendar to do so, and I will decline anything that distracts me or
interrupts that time. Try blocking time
in your calendar to practice your habit stacking
and achieve your goals. Fear of failure is
something we all feel along the way of
pursuing our goals, and it can be a big
hurdle to overcome. Something I like to practice is reframing failure as
constructive feedback. I try to remind myself that I'm human and so
is everyone else. It's unrealistic to
assume everything I do will be without
room for criticism. I try to focus on where I can adjust things next time and use this process as a stepping stone toward improving my practice
and achieving my goals. Similarly, imposter syndrome
can be a brutal force as we are constantly inundated with proof of
other people's success. A simple, but powerful way to
overcome this is to simply document your progress and celebrate your
achievements big or small. Take time to reflect
on the skills you've developed and the
effort you contributed. No one can take that from you. Finally, it can be
difficult to keep moving forward if you're not
accountable for your progress. Even when you're
pursuing a goal you care deeply about with every
fiber of your being. Something I do is post my in progress clips of paintings
on my social media accounts. The feedback I get and
the interest in seeing the finished product is a powerful source of
accountability, even if it's from strangers. If you want to follow my
progress as I work towards my next art show and be part of my
accountability network, follow me on Instagram. So for this exercise, take a few minutes to write
down some of the obstacles you might encounter along the journey to achieving your goals, and brainstorm some techniques you can use to overcome them. To increase your
chances of success, try to keep the
embodied approach in mind with these techniques, focusing on the feel good habits you're
already building on. Next, we'll identify
ways to strengthen our habit structures and enhance our embodied approach
to pursuing our goals. By exploring ways we can build our self efficacy.
Join me there.
8. Exercise 5: Building & Embodying Self-Efficacy: As we're pursuing our goals and developing powerful
habit structures, there are lots of
opportunities to strengthen those connections by
building self efficacy. In textbook terms, self efficacy is our belief and
our capacity to execute behaviors necessary to produce specific
performance attainments. It's the confidence we
have in our ability to exert control over
our own motivation, behavior, and
social environment. In pursuing our goals, we want to maximize our
feelings of self efficacy, and there are a number of
ways we can do that that taps into our embodied
approach to goal setting. Verbal affirmations
might seem a bit corny, but saying you're
able to do something can be a powerful force
in doing the thing. If you don't want to
stand in front of the mirror and tell yourself
how capable you are, try writing it down or
speaking it aloud to a friend. If I tell a friend, I'm going
to paint a great solo show. My brain and my body can't tell the difference.
It believes me. Surrounding yourself with
people who are successful in your area of achievement
is also very powerful, called vicarious mastery,
sometimes just being in the same room and
feeling the energy of an expert can have an
incredible effect. It can also help with
imposter syndrome. I belong to an artist
run center that has artist members who
exhibit all over the world, and just having a conversation with them makes me
realize they're humans who experience all the same fears and obstacles I do. A more active approach is
to learn from experience. Action breeds confidence,
called inactive mastery, simply by doing we learn. Keep in mind the
techniques we discussed in the previous lessons to
minimize those obstacles and distractions and take even a small step toward building your habits
that support your goals. A technique I struggle with, but I'm actively working on is called Shoshan or
beginner's Mind. This approach to
building self efficacy involves leaving room for
experimentation and innovation. Ask yourself how a child might approach your goal and try
putting it into practice. You might discover a new
and exciting approach. If you have success with this, please let me know in
the class discussion, so I'm inspired to keep trying. Something I'm actively
doing right now to build my self efficacy
with goal setting and teaching is called
the protege effect. It's a saying that the best way to learn something
is to teach it. I know that by
walking you through my process of embodied
goal setting, I'm going to build self efficacy and how I apply it
to my own life. With my artistic practice, I might start teaching
some techniques and build my self
efficacy along the way. Finally, you could
try what's called the Batman or the
Beyonce effect, which is to adopt an alter ego. Bruce Wayne embodied
the actions of a superhero when he
donned his Batman cape, and Beyonce became Sasha fierce when she
stepped onstage and overcame her stage
fright to become one of the biggest
superstars in history. Now, keep in mind everything
we've learned so far. You can't just slap on a costume and expect the
results to follow. But the more you
embody the habits of your alter ego and set yourself up for success
at a sensory level, the more likely this
approach will work. For this exercise, write down how you could put
these techniques into practice as you work towards your goals to build
your self efficacy. Let us know what you've
tried in class discussion. Next, we'll finally get to
mapping our embodied goals, bringing all of these
techniques together in a cohesive way that
sets us up for success. Take a stretch, replenish your
snacks, and join me there.
9. Exercise 6: Mapping Your Embodied Goals: In my professional world, I'm a brand and
marketing strategist. You might have taken some
of my skill share classes on building Resilient brand. When I create strategies
for my clients, I often start by
setting smart goals, a widely accepted method that makes sure your
goals are specific, measurable, actionable,
realistic, and time bound. For example, I might set a
goal that we want to achieve a 15% increase in landing page traffic from digital ad campaigns
by the end of two. This framework is
helpful for directing our marketing efforts and
measuring our progress, but it has always felt
very non human to me. When it comes to
setting my own goals, I struggled with finding
a framework that made sense until I encountered
the concept of nice goals. Created by my fellow
Skillshare teacher and productivity
expert Ali Ab Dal. Nice goals are near
term, input based, controllable, and energizing.
Do you see the difference? As we've talked about today, we want to set ourselves
up for success by creating the
environment and habits that not only feel good, but that get us to our
flow state so that we achieve the challenging
things we set out to achieve. Ali Ab Dal model of nice goals captures this
approach to embodied goal setting because
they're tied to our immediate
behavior, our habits. They rely on our bodies
doing something. We have control over
what that action is, and most of all,
they're energizing. In other words, they
help us to tap into that powerful flow state to feed our motivation and energy. Before we map our nice goals, I want to make a note on
measuring our progress as we stack our habits and
work towards our goals. Goodhart's law says, when a
measure becomes a target, it ceases to be a measure. So if you're measuring your
progress through things like a daily habit tracker
or some other method, make sure the measure in and of itself isn't becoming your goal. Measurement should simply be a point of feedback
in a larger system. When you're mapping
your nice goals, using our embodied approach, try to think of
some indicators of success that aren't tied to
the outcome of your goal. In my case, I could track the number of hours I
spend in my studio, but that measure
doesn't directly correlate with me making
progress on a painting. That bed is pretty comfortable, so it might end up being a measure of how many
maps I've had. Instead, I want to measure
my actual progress toward achieving my goal of being a productive and
professional artist. I want to consider emotional
measures of success, like how satisfied I am with a day's progress or how stressed I'm feeling
about a looming deadline. So let's get started with mapping our embodied nice goals. Using the nice framework, I could say my first
smaller goal is create a list of paintings that I want to be
in my next show. I can do this right now. It's near term and
straightforward. I can do it in an environment
where I'm comfortable. I have snacks and coffee. Maybe I'll put on my studio playlist while I make my list. The school is also input
based. I'm writing a list. The ideas are coming
from my head, and I'm making them
concrete by putting them on paper. It's
also controllable. I can do it without any risk of interruption or distraction, especially if I'm set
up for success in a space that is conducive
to my productivity. Lastly, and maybe most
importantly, it's energizing. This list of
paintings will get me excited not only
for the end result, the completed pieces,
but for the process. Finding the source material,
taking reference photos, deciding on the canvas sizes and how they'll be
mounted and exhibited, planning the show opening, and hopefully selling
some artwork. So the goal is nice. It's near term, input based, controllable,
and energizing, and it directly
supports my sense of self as a productive and
professional artist. It taps into the
sensory environment that allows me to be productive. As I progress along my journey
of painting a solo show, I can map the next goal and then the next until I'm
at the point of printing the show catalog and making sure the wine is
stocked for the opening. Now, it's your turn. Try mapping a few nice goals that support your desired identity
and allow you to stack the habits that not only feel good and set you up for success, but that challenge you with just enough difficulty to keep you interested
and motivated. Ask yourself if
you're in control of the habits that are required
to achieve that goal, and if it's just
challenging enough to help you achieve a flow state
and feel energized. Finally, ask, does this goal
support my sense of self? After you've mapped
your nice goals, describe a sensory
environment that will provide the greatest
chance of success. This might be the same as
your earlier description in Exercise one, or
you might adjust it. Finally, identify some
potential obstacles and opportunities to build yourself efficacy in your pursuit
of this nice goal. Share your goal mapping in
the class discussion and ask for feedback if you're
stuck on any element of it. It's a chance to build
yourself efficacy through constructive feedback
vicarious mastery and more. We've done a lot of digging
into our inner selves, our goals, and what drives us
at a cellular level today. And you should celebrate
that achievement. Before we leave, let's consider some somatic exercises we can use to deepen the connection between our body and
mind and strengthen our practice of embodied goal setting in all
areas of our lives. Join me in the final lesson.
10. Bonus Exercise: Somatic Practices to Strengthen Your Mind-Body Connection: Earlier in the class, we talked about designing an
environment that ticked all the boxes of your
ideal sensory experience for achieving your goals? As we practice this symbodied
approach to goal setting. I wanted to share
some exercises that are proven to strengthen
the mind body connection. They can help you cultivate the right mindset and take
action towards your goals. In general, it's important
that we focus less on the outcome and more on the habits that are
supportive of the outcome. In order to do that,
it can be helpful to simply pay attention
to your body. How are you feeling
in this moment? Are you sensing a
bit of sluggishness weighing you down or do you feel light and full of energy? Maybe you're noticing
some tightness in your chest or a knot of
tension in your stomach. Somatic practices teach us to tune in to these physical
responses of our body. Instead of forcing
yourself to get motivated, simply take a moment to check in with how you're
doing physically. Paying attention to
our body's signals, whether they're
positive or negative, can point us in the
right direction. Listen to what your
body's telling you. It's got some valuable
insights to share. One way to do this
is with a body scan. To do this, try lying down
in a comfortable position. Close your eyes and begin
to focus on your breath. Bring your awareness to
the top of your head, noticing any sensations there. Move gradually
downward, scanning each body part as you go until you reach the
tips of your toes. As you scan your
different body parts, notice any sensations
that come up, such as tightness,
warmth, or tingling. The point of doing this is
not to judge what you find, but instead to be mindful
and become aware of your body and its reactions
to the present moment. When you listen
to its reactions, you can strengthen your
mind body connection. Another method is to
explore breathwork. It can be a powerful technique
to allow our bodies to be buoyed by our breath and begin to flow in
a natural rhythm. Start by simply observing your natural breath
pattern for a few moments. Once you're used to it, start to experiment with different
types of breathing. Some techniques include
alternating nostril breathing. Inhale through one nostril, then exhale through the other, or try box breathing. Breathe in for a count of four, hold for four, and
then exhale for four. Repeat the cycle several times. You can also try
focus breathing. Choose an area of your body such as your chest or abdomen, and focus solely on the breath
moving through that area. Allow your breath to find those areas in your
body that call to you. When you find those
areas in your body, allow them to ride your
breath and lead you forward. A final exercise is to practice feeling the
world with your senses. In our busy lives, it's easy to be caught
up in our heads, and we fail to connect
with the world around us. Sounds, smells, textures, and sensations that make up our
environment are ignored, and we can't savor
our surroundings. I like to take breaks in nature, even if it's just sitting in my backyard or on my front
porch, if it's raining. Nature enhances our
concentration and mental sharpness and reduces
our tendency to ruminate, which stops us from
taking action. Feeling the world does not
have to be complicated. Try noticing how a warm cup of tea coffee feels
in your hands. Take note of the
way the air feels on your skin as you
walk down the street. Tune into the sound of
rain against your window. Check out the colors and shapes
of the clouds in the sky. Tap into your beginner's mind
and simply play outside. It's important as we pursue our big goals that we honor our bodies that are
doing the work. I hope these exercises help
ground you as you embody your goals and that
they become part of your regular practice
if they serve you well. Share the techniques you like to use in the class discussion. Join me in the final video for some closing thoughts
and a bit of homework to help you take
your embodied goal setting practice forward.
I'll see you there.
11. Closing Thoughts & Homework: Before I sign off, I have
some homework for all of us. I'm challenging us to design
a goal setting ritual that incorporates the embodied approach we work through today. Maybe it's something you
revisit monthly or once a year, do what feels best for you. As you practice embodying
your goals in this ritual, Reflect on your practice
by asking yourself whether your habits are aligned
with your desired identity, and if they're helping
you achieve your goals. Ask whether you're
achieving a state of flow and if pursuing your
goals is energizing. Ask whether the
sensory environment you're working in is
supporting your habits. Think about how you
can build yourself efficacy in your
pursuit of your goals and how you can
measure success with emotional measures in
addition to your output. I really appreciate you
joining me here today, and I can't wait to see how you're mapping and
making progress to achieving your goals with this embodied goal
setting method. Don't forget to
share your work in the class discussion
to help inspire the rest of us and to get feedback and build
your self efficacy. I hope to see you
in my next class.
12. BONUS: Book a 1-on-1 Mentorship Session with Me!: Hi, friends, just popping
on here to let you know, you can now book a one
on one mentorship call with me right here
on Skillshare. We can talk through building
your resilient brand, pursuing your biggest personal
and professional goals, and the obstacles that come along with being a
creative entrepreneur. I'm so excited to work
directly with you. You can book a call today
on my Skillshare profile.
Tamara Jensen, Entrepreneur & Brand Strategist
