This course will help you master the art of goal-setting.
Setting goals isn’t just a self-help cliché – it’s a proven way to improve your life. Research in psychology shows that people who set goals achieve more, feel more motivated, and perform better than those who don’t . Goals give you a sense of direction and purpose. Instead of drifting aimlessly, you wake up with clarity on what you want to accomplish. In this course, we’ll explore the science behind effective goal-setting and how to apply it in your own life. By the end, you’ll know how to craft compelling goals and follow through with confidence – using both proven techniques and handy features from our app Goaliath to support you every step of the way.
Psychologists Dr. Edwin Locke and Dr. Gary Latham spent decades researching how goals drive performance. Their Goal-Setting Theory is one of the most influential frameworks in motivational psychology . Here’s the bottom line: specific, challenging goals, combined with feedback on progress, lead to higher performance than vague or easy goals . In other words, telling yourself “do your best” or setting an easy goal isn’t as motivating as setting a clear, ambitious target to strive for. Locke and Latham identified five key principles that make goals most effective: Clarity: Goals should be specific and clear. A clear goal guides your focus. For example, “finish writing a 5-page report by Friday” is much clearer than “try to work harder.” When goals are specific, it’s obvious what success looks like . Clarity also means your goal is measurable – you can track exactly how far you’ve come (pages written, pounds lost, money saved, etc.). Our app reinforces clarity by helping you define concrete targets (e.g. the exact number, date, or outcome you aim for) and by offering a “goal quality check” that flags vague goals. If your goal is too fuzzy or generic, Goaliath will suggest ways to sharpen it into a specific objective that you can actually measure and achieve. Challenge: Goals should be challenging but attainable. We’re motivated by a stretch. Numerous studies show that the more difficult and ambitious a goal (within reason), the higher the performance gains, compared to easy goals . Challenging goals inspire greater effort and persistence – you have to push yourself, which often leads to improved skills and results. For instance, aiming to “run a 5K in under 25 minutes” will drive more training than a goal to “jog occasionally.” However, challenging doesn’t mean impossible – goals must remain realistic. If a goal is so extreme that it feels unachievable, motivation drops. The sweet spot is often called the “Goldilocks zone”: not too easy, not too hard. Goaliath’s goal planner uses this principle by encouraging you to set “stretch goals” – ambitious targets that excite you – and even warns you if your goal might be too easy or too hard. The app’s goal review feature checks if your goal is specific and challenging enough, suggesting a more impactful alternative if needed (for example, upping the ante on an easy goal to make it more inspiring, or breaking down an overly big goal to make it feasible). Commitment: You need to commit to your goal. This might seem obvious – of course you intend to reach your goal! But commitment goes deeper: it means truly buying in to the importance of the goal and resolving to see it through. Research shows that if you personally value the goal and believe in it, you’re much more likely to stick with it . In practice, this means choosing goals that really matter to you (not just something you think you “should” do because of others). It also means strengthening your determination by, for example, writing down why this goal matters or visualizing how achieving it will improve your life. Our app helps bolster commitment by prompting you to connect goals with your broader values (making sure your goals are relevant and meaningful to you). We also encourage you to formalize your commitment – when you input a goal into Goaliath, you’re making a concrete promise to yourself, which studies show can increase follow-through . Some people even choose to share their goals with a friend or mentor for accountability. (In fact, one study found that people who wrote down their goals and action steps, and sent weekly progress updates to a friend, achieved 76% of their goals, compared to 43% for those who kept goals to themselves !) Whether you share or not, ensure your goal is truly yours and take a moment to commit to it wholeheartedly. Feedback: Progress feedback is crucial. Regularly tracking your progress toward a goal boosts your chances of success . Feedback can come from outside (like a coach’s input or a test score), but it can also be self-generated – for example, by checking how you’re doing relative to your plan. Seeing progress (or lack thereof) tells you if you need to adjust your effort or strategy . Think of it this way: if your goal is a destination, feedback is your GPS. Without feedback, you wouldn’t know if you’re getting closer or veering off course. In Goaliath, we built in feedback tools like progress bars and visual trackers on your dashboard so you can instantly see how much you’ve completed and how far you have to go. Every time you log a step or update a task as done, you get that satisfying checkmark or percent-complete indicator. This isn’t just for fun – it’s grounding your brain in real evidence of progress, which can motivate you to keep going or to course-correct if needed. We also encourage reflecting on your progress in journal entries, so you can celebrate wins and learn from setbacks. Remember, feedback isn’t about judgment, it’s about information. Use it to stay informed and energized on your journey. Task Complexity: The final principle is to account for task complexity. Big goals can be complex and overwhelming if viewed as one giant task. The research finds that for complicated goals, performance is better when the task is made more straightforward . In plain language, break a complex goal into smaller, manageable steps. If your goal is to “launch a small business,” there are many moving parts – market research, business registration, product development, marketing, etc. Trying to tackle it all at once is a recipe for procrastination. Instead, divide and conquer: identify sub-goals or milestones (e.g. “Draft a business plan this month,” “Register the business by next month,” “Launch website by June 1,” and so on). By focusing on one component at a time, you reduce mental overload and build momentum with each small win. This principle is baked into Goaliath’s design. Our Goal Planner helps you break your big goal into bite-sized actions and milestones. You can list out the steps or phases required, and the app will guide you to assign deadlines or durations for each step. It essentially helps map out the path to your goal, so that at any given time you’re clear on the next actionable task rather than getting lost in the complexity. By tackling one small step at a time, you steadily progress toward the larger goal without feeling overwhelmed. By keeping these five principles – clarity, challenge, commitment, feedback, and manageable complexity – in mind, you set yourself up for success. Now, let’s translate these principles into practical steps you can take today.
You may have heard of “SMART” goals. This popular framework captures many of the above principles in a handy acronym. SMART stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound . Using the SMART checklist is a great way to practically design a good goal: Specific: Make your goal concrete and detailed. Define exactly what you want to accomplish. Avoid vague words. A poor goal is, “I want to get healthy.” A specific goal is, “I will swim for 30 minutes, 5 days a week, to improve my fitness.” Anyone reading your goal should know exactly what you intend to do . In our app, whenever you create a goal, we prompt you for specifics – the what, where, and how – to ensure clarity. If you input something general like “get in shape,” the app might ask you to refine it by specifying a target (e.g. “run a 10K by October” or “lose 5 kg in 3 months”), because specifics drive action. Measurable: Quantify your goal so you can track progress. Ask yourself how will I know when I’ve achieved it? There should be some indicator of success (a number, a yes/no completion, a visible result). For example, “read more books” isn’t measurable, but “read 12 books this year (1 per month)” is measurable – you can count books finished. Measurable criteria let you evaluate progress and enjoy the satisfaction as you hit milestones. Goaliath helps with this by showing progress metrics (like % of goal completed, or number of tasks done out of total). We also have you set quantitative targets where applicable (for instance, if your goal is learning a language, you might set a goal of completing a certain number of lessons or being able to hold a 10-minute conversation). Tracking these metrics keeps you accountable and motivated. Achievable: Ensure the goal is realistic and attainable for you, given your current context and resources. An achievable goal is not the same as an “easy” goal – it should still challenge you (remember, challenge is important!) – but it shouldn’t be so extreme that you’re setting yourself up for failure. If you’ve never run a day in your life, aiming to win an Olympic marathon next month is not achievable (or remotely realistic). A better goal might be “run a 5K in 3 months”. Consider your starting point and make sure the goal, while ambitious, is within the realm of possibility. Often, breaking a big dream into a series of achievable sub-goals is the way to go. For example, if your dream is to change careers, a first achievable goal could be “complete a professional certification in my new field within 6 months.” Achievable also means you have (or can obtain) the necessary skills and resources. If not, perhaps one of your goals needs to be acquiring those skills. Our app’s goal-setting flow will often ask you to consider scope: if you set a very lofty goal, we encourage you to set intermediary milestones. This keeps things achievable and lets you build confidence with each success. Relevant: Your goal should matter to you and align with your broader objectives or values. A relevant goal answers the question, “Why is this goal important?” If a goal isn’t meaningful to you, it’s hard to maintain commitment. For instance, someone else might think you should pursue an MBA, but if your passion is in creative design, that goal won’t feel relevant or motivating. Relevant goals fit your life context and long-term vision. When goals align with your intrinsic interests or larger purposes, you’re more likely to persevere. This ties back to the commitment principle – we commit to goals we care about. Take a moment to ensure any goal you set is something you genuinely want and that it serves a bigger “why” in your life. In Goaliath, we include prompts for writing down your motivation or “North Star” for each goal. Seeing that written motivation can refuel your drive on tough days. Time-bound: Every goal needs a deadline or timeframe. Having a target date creates a sense of urgency and helps with planning. If goals are open-ended like “someday I’ll do this,” it’s easy to procrastinate indefinitely. A time-bound goal could be “by December 31st”, or “within 3 months”, or even a more immediate timeline like “by the end of this week” for a short-term goal. Deadlines help you prioritize and also give a natural point for celebration or evaluation. Our app requires you to assign a due date or timeline for your goals. For example, if you say you want to learn a programming skill, you might decide “I will complete an online course by August 30th.” Once you set that, Goaliath will show a countdown or how much time is left, which can light a fire under you to keep making progress each week. We also send gentle reminders as the deadline approaches, to help you stay on track (because we all know how easy it is to let time slip by). Using the SMART criteria when you set a goal is a quick way to make sure you’ve covered the essentials. Let’s illustrate this with a quick example. Imagine your initial wish is “I want to write a book.” That’s a fantastic dream, but it’s not yet a SMART goal. Here’s how we can refine it: Specific: What type of book, and what does “write” mean (first draft? full manuscript?). Let’s say it’s a novel, and you mean finish the first draft. Measurable: How long will it be? Maybe you aim for 80,000 words (typical novel length). That’s measurable. Achievable: If you’ve never written anything, 80k words is challenging but doable with consistent work. Yes, it’s achievable, but probably not in a week – you’ll need a realistic timeframe and daily writing target. Relevant: Why do you want to write a novel? Suppose it’s because you’ve always loved storytelling and want to accomplish this personal milestone – it’s deeply meaningful to you. (Great! This will keep you going when it’s tough.) Time-bound: Set a deadline. Perhaps “finish the 80k-word first draft 6 months from now, by [Date]”. Now the goal becomes: “Complete an 80,000-word first draft of my novel by [Dec 31, 2025], by writing roughly 500 words daily.” This goal is specific (writing a novel draft of 80k words), measurable (word count, daily writing), challenging yet achievable (500 words a day is effort but not unrealistic), relevant (a meaningful personal milestone), and time-bound (6-month deadline). This is a goal that paints a clear picture of what you’re doing and sets you up to plan accordingly. In Goaliath’s Goal Planner, this is exactly the kind of detail you’d input: you’d set the goal with a title like “Write an 80k-word novel draft,” choose a target date, and perhaps add the daily writing task of 500 words as a recurring action. The app would track your word count progress as you log it, showing you inching towards 80k. If you just entered “write a book” with no date or specifics, the app would prompt you to add those details – because vague goals often stay unfulfilled dreams, whereas SMART goals tend to spur action.
Large goals can feel intimidating. The key to not getting overwhelmed is breaking a big goal into smaller sub-goals and action steps. Think of your goal as a journey: if the goal is the destination, the sub-goals are the milestones along the road, and the action steps are the individual steps you take. For example, let’s say your goal is to “launch an online bakery business in 12 months.” That’s a complex goal with many pieces. You could break it down into major milestones like: 1) Develop and test recipes (Month 1-2), 2) Design branding and create a website (Month 3-4), 3) Set up online ordering and delivery logistics (Month 5-7), 4) Run a small pilot or soft launch (Month 8-9), and 5) Full launch and marketing (Month 10-12). Each of those chunks can further be broken into actionable tasks (e.g., under “develop recipes”: list out the specific recipes to perfect, schedule baking trial days, gather feedback from tasters, etc.). By focusing on one milestone at a time, you make consistent progress and avoid the paralysis of “Where do I even start?” or “This is too much to handle!” Our app makes this process easy. When you create a goal in Goaliath, it doesn’t stop at the one-liner goal description – it guides you to create a step-by-step plan. You can add sub-goals or tasks under your main goal, each with their own due dates if needed. In the example above, you might add tasks like “Register business name (by Feb 1)”, “Design logo”, “Open social media accounts”, “Find supplier for packaging”, and so on. You can even specify recurring tasks (like “Bake test batch every Saturday” for the recipe development phase). The app essentially helps you do what project managers do: break the project into pieces, sequence them, and assign timelines. Why is this so powerful? First, it aligns with the task complexity principle – simplifying a complex goal into simpler tasks. Second, each small step you complete gives you a hit of accomplishment, building momentum. It’s psychologically rewarding to check off a task, and that boosts your motivation to tackle the next one. Small wins lead to big wins. Completing each sub-goal also builds your confidence (“hey, I did that, I can do the next part too”). Another benefit is that breaking things down forces you to think through the process of achieving the goal. This kind of planning makes you more prepared and can expose any unrealistic parts of the goal early. If you notice one sub-goal is huge, you might split it further or give it more time. You’re proactively managing the complexity. In contrast, if you keep the goal only as a big abstract idea, you might underestimate the work or sequence – and then get discouraged later. So whenever you set a goal, always outline the path: What steps or milestones are needed? In what order? How long might each take? Use tools (like a checklist or Goaliath’s planner) to map these out. Not only will this make the goal less daunting, it will give you a clear roadmap to follow. As the saying goes, “How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.” Likewise, you achieve a big goal one step at a time.
Ever notice how it’s easy to decide on a goal, but not so easy to actually start doing it? One of the best-researched strategies to bridge that gap between intention and action is to plan when and where you will do the actions for your goal. Psychologists call this making an implementation intention – essentially an “if-then” plan that links a specific situation with the intended behavior. For example: “If it is Monday, Wednesday, or Friday at 7 AM, then I will be at the gym for 30 minutes.” This might sound simple, but the impact is huge. Having a concrete plan for when/where you’ll act can double or triple your chances of following through. Consider a study in the British Journal of Health Psychology: participants were asked to exercise at least once a week. One group just tracked their exercise; another group tracked exercise and read motivational material about heart health; a third group tracked exercise and wrote down a specific plan: “During the next week, I will exercise for at least 20 minutes on [DAY] at [TIME] in [PLACE].” The results were striking – in the first two groups, only 35–38% of people exercised at least once per week. In the group that made a when/where plan, 91% exercised at least once per week . Simply writing down “I will do [X] at [time] in [place]” more than doubled the rate of follow-through. Why do these plans help so much? Because they remove ambiguity and leverage our memory and environment. When you decide in advance exactly when and where an action will happen, you create a mental cue. The moment Monday 7 AM hits, you’re not debating with yourself “Should I exercise now or maybe later?” – you already have a pre-decided script: it’s 7 AM at the gym, time to exercise. It reduces reliance on “feeling motivated” in the moment. The environment (location and time) itself becomes a trigger for the behavior. Psychologist Peter Gollwitzer, who pioneered implementation intentions, explains that this technique automates goal-directed behavior; you’ve outsourced the need for willpower to a simple decision made earlier. We took this research to heart when designing Goaliath. Our Goal Planner specifically asks you to fill in details like: what time of day will you work on this goal? How many hours per day or which days per week? And in what location will you do it? These aren’t just pointless questions – they help you form implementation intentions. For instance, if your goal is to write 500 words a day, the app might prompt you to decide “I will write from 7:00–8:00 AM each weekday at my kitchen table.” That statement is essentially your if-then plan (if it’s a weekday at 7am, then I’m at the table writing). You can even set reminders based on that schedule, so your phone pings you at 6:50 AM: “Time to write 500 words at the kitchen table.” You’re leveraging time and place as cues to action, rather than relying on memory or mood. This planning can be done for one-time actions too, not just habits. If one of your goal steps is, say, “Call three potential clients,” don’t leave it as a vague task. Plan it: “On Tuesday at 3 PM, I will sit in my office and call client A, B, and C.” Block it on your calendar. Treat it like an appointment with yourself. Research shows that making this kind of specific action plan significantly increases the odds of success across all kinds of goals – from getting a flu shot to sticking with a study schedule . The takeaway: Never leave the “when and where” of your goal actions up to chance. Decide it early, write it down, and ideally log it in a system (like Goaliath or your calendar) that will remind you. By doing so, you’ll find it much easier to overcome procrastination and actually stick to the behaviors that lead to your goal. It’s a simple trick that yields powerful results.
Motivation isn’t a constant – it’s normal to have ebbs and flows of enthusiasm during a long journey. One way to keep your motivation high is by tracking your progress and celebrating small wins. This ties back to the feedback principle we discussed, but it’s also about psychology and morale. When you can see evidence of progress, it builds your sense of accomplishment and competence. Even if you’re not at the finish line yet, knowing you’ve gone from 0% to 40% to 60% of your goal is energizing. It creates a positive feedback loop: progress fuels motivation, which fuels more action, which creates more progress. Research indeed suggests that the more frequently you monitor your progress, the more likely you are to succeed . It makes sense – if you check in often, you can correct course quickly and you get continual reinforcement that you’re moving forward. So, how can you track progress effectively? Here are some tips: Use visual trackers: Marking progress on a chart or app can be very satisfying. For instance, if your goal is to drink 8 glasses of water a day, you might tick off each glass in a journal or an app. In Goaliath, as mentioned, we provide progress bars or checklists for your goals. Every time you complete a sub-task or report progress (say, update how many pages you wrote or how much money you saved so far), the app updates your progress percentage. Seeing that bar fill up can be surprisingly motivating! Some people also use habit-tracking calendars or even a simple paper checklist – whatever medium works for you is fine, as long as you can see your progress. Set interim milestones: For longer goals, set intermediate targets and celebrate when you reach them. If your goal is to lose 20 kg in a year, you might aim for 5 kg in the first 3 months. When you hit that 5 kg loss, reward yourself (maybe with a new workout outfit or a fun activity – something that reinforces your healthy progress, not undermines it). Our app allows you to set milestones like this within your goal timeline. It might also congratulate you when you reach a milestone, because positive reinforcement matters! Recognizing your own progress (“I’ve completed Phase 1!”) gives you a fresh boost of confidence for tackling the next phase. Reflect on how far you’ve come: Human nature sometimes fixates on how far we still have to go, but taking time to look back at where you started is crucial. If you’ve been working on learning a language for 4 months, pause and realize, “Four months ago I barely knew any vocabulary, now I can hold a basic conversation!” That perspective can renew your enthusiasm to keep pushing. Journaling can help here – write about your progress, what you can do now that you couldn’t before, or obstacles you’ve overcome. Goaliath has a journaling feature where you can log such reflections. Not only is it cathartic, it also strengthens the narrative in your mind that you are someone who makes progress and achieves goals. Adjust if needed: Tracking isn’t just about patting yourself on the back (though do that too!). It’s also about noticing if you’re falling behind schedule or struggling with certain tasks. If so, use that feedback constructively: maybe your plan was too ambitious time-wise and you need to adjust the timeline, or perhaps you realize you need extra help or resources for a particular step. This is normal! Rarely does everything go perfectly according to the initial plan. Realign your plan rather than abandoning the goal. For example, if you aimed to read 2 books a month but only managed 1 per month in the first quarter, you might update the goal to 12 books in the year instead of 24 – or examine what slowed you down and see if you can address it. Being flexible and adaptive is a strength, not a failure. The goal-setting process isn’t set in stone; it’s meant to serve you and help you grow. What matters is staying committed to the end goal, even if the path changes. Remember to celebrate your progress. Many of us are quick to celebrate big achievements but overlook small victories. Every step forward is progress: finishing a chapter of your thesis, reaching a new personal best in a workout, sticking to your budget for one month – these deserve recognition. Treat yourself to something nice or at least acknowledge the win mentally. This keeps the journey enjoyable. Achieving a big goal is essentially a series of small achievements, so don’t wait only for the end to feel proud.
No meaningful goal is achieved without encountering some obstacles along the way. Life happens – you might hit roadblocks like lack of time, waning motivation, unexpected setbacks, or just the temptation to revert to old habits. Anticipating and overcoming obstacles is therefore a critical part of goal success. One powerful, science-backed technique to do this is called WOOP, which stands for Wish, Outcome, Obstacle, Plan. It’s a strategy developed by psychologist Gabriele Oettingen as part of “mental contrasting with implementation intentions” (MCII). Don’t worry about the jargon – the idea is straightforward and extremely useful. Here’s how WOOP works: Wish: Identify your wish or goal – something meaningful yet feasible. (In our context, this is the goal you want to achieve.) Outcome: Imagine and visualize the best possible outcome if your wish comes true. How will you feel? What will the result look like? Really picture the success and get motivated by that vision. Obstacle: Now, pivot and identify the main obstacle within you that could prevent that outcome. This is key – think about what inner barrier might get in the way. It could be a behavior, an emotion, a bad habit, a limiting belief. For example, if your goal is to write daily, your internal obstacle might be “I often feel too tired after work and end up watching TV instead.” Plan: For each obstacle, make a plan for what you will do if it arises. This often takes an if-then format (sound familiar? It’s another implementation intention!). “If [obstacle], then I will [effective action to overcome it].” For the writing example: “If I feel too tired after work and want to watch TV, then I will grab a coffee or take a 15-minute nap, and then start writing for just 10 minutes.” The idea is to have a strategy ready to go when your identified obstacle shows up. Why does WOOP help? It combines positive thinking and realistic planning. Many people either only daydream about success (and ignore challenges), or only dread the challenges (and forget why the goal matters). WOOP forces you to do both: get energized by the reward and confront the potential hurdle. This mental contrasting between the desired future and present obstacles creates a healthy tension that boosts motivation and action . Research has shown that people who practice mental contrasting in this way are more likely to overcome those obstacles and achieve their goals . By imagining the obstacle and pre-planning your response, you won’t be caught off-guard when it happens – you’ll execute your plan. We’ve included a WOOP exercise in Goaliath as part of our goal-setting toolkit. When you use our app’s “Obstacle Planner” (or WOOP wizard), it will guide you through these four steps for your goal. For instance, if your goal is to study for an exam, the app might ask: “Take a moment to visualize acing the exam – how will that feel? Great. Now, what is a main internal obstacle? Perhaps procrastination or anxiety? Okay – name it. Next, come up with an if-then plan: if it’s 7 PM and I feel anxious and want to avoid studying, then I will do a 5-minute deep breathing exercise and start with just one practice question.” Writing this down in the app solidifies your contingency plan. Later, if you flag that you’re struggling, the app can even remind you of the plan you made for yourself. Beyond WOOP, staying committed also involves maintaining your “why” and keeping yourself accountable. We touched on commitment and relevance earlier – it’s important throughout the journey. If you ever feel your motivation dipping, revisit your core reason for pursuing this goal. Sometimes even visual reminders can help (like a vision board, or setting a motivational quote or image related to your goal as your phone wallpaper). Some people journal about how life will be better after achieving the goal, to reinforce their commitment. And don’t underestimate the power of social support: tell a friend or family member about your goal, or find a community (online or offline) of people working on similar goals. Sharing your progress and challenges with someone can keep you accountable and encouraged. In our app, while much of your goal work is private, we do encourage you to share big wins (there’s a feature to share an achievement to your contacts or social if you choose) – you might be surprised how a little cheer from others can re-energize you. And if you ever feel like giving up, remember that hitting obstacles doesn’t mean the goal is wrong or that you can’t do it; it means you’re learning. Use the setbacks as feedback, adjust your approach if needed, and keep going.
You’ve now learned the core principles of effective goal setting and how to apply them in real life: Set clear, specific goals that excite you and define exactly what you want to achieve . Make sure your goals are challenging yet realistic, so they inspire effort but remain attainable . Commit to goals that truly matter to you, and strengthen that commitment by writing them down and perhaps sharing with a supportive friend . Create a detailed plan: break goals into smaller steps, set a timeline, and use implementation intentions (decide when and where you’ll do each step) to lock in your action strategy . Track your progress and celebrate milestones – let yourself feel proud of every step forward, and use feedback to stay on track. Anticipate challenges and have a game plan (like WOOP) for overcoming obstacles, so you’re ready to tackle them head-on . Stay flexible and adapt as needed, but never lose sight of your end goal. Goal setting is a skill, and like any skill, it gets stronger with practice. The fact that you’re taking this course shows you’re serious about improving, and that’s a fantastic first step. Remember, even the longest journey begins with a single step – and you’ve already taken that by learning these concepts. As you move forward, we invite you to put these ideas into action with the support of Goaliath. Our app was built on these science-backed principles to make your goal journey smoother and more effective. We’ll help you craft your SMART goals, plan your steps, set your schedule, and stay accountable and motivated with progress tracking and reminders. But ultimately, you are the driver of your success. With knowledge and the right tools, you have everything you need to turn your aspirations into achievements. Now it’s time to act: Think of one meaningful goal you want to pursue. Using what you’ve learned, write down a specific and challenging goal, set your timeline, plan out how you’ll achieve it, and identify possible obstacles and solutions. Commit to it – maybe even tell someone or mark it in the app. Then take that first action step, no matter how small. Each step will bring you closer to the life you envision. You have the science of motivation on your side and an entire community (and app) rooting for you. Here’s to your success – happy goal crushing!