Jordan Peterson On Goal Setting

As a seeker of success and self-improvement, you’ve probably come across numerous perspectives on goal setting. It’s a vast realm, isn’t it? One that we love to explore from every angle, sifting through the wisdom of experts, influencers, and game-changers who’ve made their mark in this space.

Today, we’re diving deep into the thoughts of a truly influential figure, Jordan Peterson. You might know him as a renowned psychologist and professor with a unique, insightful, and sometimes controversial take on personal development.

Together, let’s unravel Peterson’s approach to setting goals, a method that balances dreaming big with self-awareness, visualizing success with acknowledging potential pitfalls. Ready to join this exciting journey? Let’s dive in.

Peterson’s Perspective on Self-Reflection For Goal Setting

Vision For The Future

According to Jordan Peterson, one of the cornerstones of successful goal setting lies in a unique exercise of visualization. Peterson encourages individuals to imagine what their life could be in four years if everything goes exactly as they want it to. This means picturing the life you aspire to lead, the accomplishments you wish to achieve, the relationships you wish to nurture – everything that represents your idea of success and fulfillment.

The benefits of this exercise are manifold. Firstly, it forces you to specify what you want your future to look like, in a tangible and detailed manner. This specificity is crucial because, as Peterson states, “If you don’t specify what you want, you won’t get it.” The visualization serves as a guiding star, a vision to strive for.

Secondly, this exercise pushes you to set goals that are meaningful and personally significant. By imagining your ideal life, you are inevitably setting goals that align with your values, interests, and desires. This personal connection to your goals can enhance motivation, resilience, and the likelihood of achieving them.

Importantly, Peterson also highlights the power of dreaming big. While he emphasizes that your wants should be within the bounds of appropriate reason, he doesn’t deter from aspiring beyond the immediate or easily achievable. “You could also dream big, and there’s always the possibility that’ll work out too,” Peterson suggests. This is a reminder that while goals should be grounded in our current realities, they shouldn’t necessarily be confined by them. After all, some of the most rewarding accomplishments can come from reaching for what seems, at first, just beyond our grasp.

Self-Reflection on Current Habits

Equally important to envisioning your future is Peterson’s second exercise: self-reflection on your current habits and weaknesses. Here, Peterson invites you to “take stock of yourself for a minute with all your weaknesses and inadequacies, and bitterness, and resentments and sinful tendencies.” This is not an exercise in self-deprecation, but rather an opportunity to honestly confront your shortcomings and identify potential barriers to your future success.

By identifying and acknowledging your personal pitfalls, you are taking the first step in navigating around them or overcoming them entirely. This process of reflection, while possibly uncomfortable, is essential to initiate change. After all, how can you change if you aren’t fully aware of what needs to be changed?

But Peterson doesn’t stop there. He pushes the exercise further, asking you to imagine the worst-case scenario if you let all these current negative tendencies run rampant: “Now imagine that you let all of that go, which little corner of hell would you occupy in three to five years? Why don’t you write about that?” This vivid visualization of your future, shaped by uncontrolled negative habits, paints a stark picture you would undoubtedly want to avoid. It serves as a wake-up call, providing a tangible consequence if change doesn’t occur.

This exercise underscores the importance of recognizing potential consequences. By understanding what could happen if negative habits persist, you create a strong motivational force to initiate change. In Peterson’s words, “And so then you have something to avoid and you have something to strive for.” You’re not just moving towards a positive future, but also consciously moving away from a negative one. The balance of these two driving forces can significantly enhance your capacity to set and achieve meaningful goals.

Meeting Those Two Visions In The Middle

Peterson’s approach towards goal setting presents a unique duality, an interplay between two contrasting visions. On one side, you have your future self living the life you’ve always dreamed of, a testament to the power of positive visualization. On the other, you see a version of yourself trapped in the adverse consequences of unaddressed weaknesses and unchecked habits. These two visions, while starkly different, are equally significant.

Having a positive vision to strive towards gives you a clear direction for your efforts. It sparks motivation and provides a framework for your goal-setting efforts. However, a vision of a desirable future alone may not be sufficient. As Peterson advises, it’s just as vital to have a negative outcome to avoid. This negative vision acts as a constant reminder of what could happen if you let your guard down and succumb to your current weaknesses. It’s a motivational force, a deterrent against complacency, driving you to work even harder towards your goals.

Conclusion

Jordan Peterson’s perspectives on self-reflection and goal setting offer profound insights into how you can shape your future. Through envisioning a future where your aspirations come to fruition, and contrasting this with a visualization of potential pitfalls if negative tendencies persist, Peterson emphasizes the power of self-awareness in your personal growth journey.

These dual visions act as beacons in your journey – one showing the path towards success and fulfillment, the other cautioning against the risks of unaddressed personal weaknesses. Together, they form a balanced and effective strategy for setting and achieving meaningful goals.

But merely understanding these concepts isn’t enough. The real value comes from applying them, from immersing yourself in the process of self-reflection and visualization. So, take a leaf from Peterson’s book and dive into these exercises. Write down your four-year vision, consider your potential pitfalls, and consciously commit to the changes you need to make. In doing so, you don’t just embrace a new approach to goal setting, you embrace a new pathway for personal development and success.