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Talks to Motivate You Playlist (10/10): Why you should stop setting goals (yes, really) | Emmanuel Acho
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- [00:03]
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Hey everyone, you're listening to TED Talks Daily where we bring you new ideas to spark your curiosity every day. I'm your host Elise Hu. Thank you for listening to today's podcast playlist 10 talks to motivate you today we have dropped 10 talks from our archive onto the feed all at once to motivate you, to keep you going when things are hard, to inspire you as the weather shifts, to help kickstart that new project or idea, or if things are feeling good for you right now. Just to offer a different perspective, whatever type of motivation you might need, we have a TED Talk for that to wrap up, we are bringing you former NFL player, author and TV sports analyst Emmanuel Acho. In athletics, in business, in life, everyone seems to set goals. Surprising though it may seem that might not be the way to Excel. In his 2023 talk, Emmanuel offers some thoughts on how to get better, push forward, and do more by explicitly not setting goals. It's coming up right after a short break. Today's episode is sponsored by NerdWallet's Smart Money podcast. Navigating your finances can be stressful and sometimes you just need some advice from someone you can trust. Imagine if you could have that one money savvy friend on demand for the moments when you just need a little guidance before making a big decision. NerdWallet's Smart Money podcast can be like that friend. Their team of trusted journalists breaks down financial decisions to give you research backed insights and clear pros and cons. Whether you're planning a big purchase or just want to grow your wealth, they explain the why behind tricky decisions like investing, home buying and choosing the best credit cards, all while keeping it engaging and humorous. This podcast cuts through the jargon and misinformation that's so often wrapped up with financial advice to get to the clear research backed answers you're looking for, make your next financial move with confidence. Follow NerdWallet's Smart Money podcast on your favorite podcast app. This message is brought to you by Apple Card Apple Card members can earn unlimited daily cash back on everyday purchases wherever they shop. This means you could be earning daily cash on just about anything, like a slice of pizza from your local pizza place or a latte from the corner coffee shop. Apply for Apple Card in the Wallet app to see your credit limit offer in minutes subject to credit approval. Apple Card issued by Goldman Sachs Bank USA, Salt Lake City branch terms and more@applecard.com this episode is brought to you by Planet Visionaries, a podcast in partnership with the Rolex Perpetual Planet Initiative. If you've been feeling overwhelmed by climate headlines lately, here's something worth your time. A show focused on solutions. It's called Planet Visionaries, hosted by Alex Honnold. Yes, the climber from Free Solo, who recently completed an impressive skyscraper climb in Taipei, now turning his attention to protecting the only planet we've got. What makes this show stand out is the people you'll hear from. Scientists, explorers and storytellers who are actually building a better future and making it feel tangible, human and possible. When one conversation features coral restoration leader Tituan Bernacote, along with legendary oceanographer Sylvia Earle, sharing what it really takes to restore our oceans. In partnership with the Rolex Perpetual Planet Initiative, this is Planet Visionaries. Listen or watch on Apple, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you're listening to this podcast. And now our TED Talk of the Day.
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I do not suppose to know everything. And those closest to me, they might say I don't really know much at all. But one thing that I know to be true beyond the shadow of a doubt is this. The surest way to fail in life is to set a goal. Now, unfortunately, I found this out through excruciating pain. But hopefully in the next nine minutes, I can convince you too, that this is true without the pain. Unless, of course, you consider listening to me painful. Okay, the year was 2011. I was seeking to become a multimillionaire by the age of 21. So how was I going to do this? It was simple. I was going to leave college at the University of Texas one year early. I was going to leave after my junior year and declare for the National Football League draft. In order to do this, however, you have to submit your resume to the NFL. A resume in football. It is your highlight tapes from your years playing prior. So I submitted my football tape from my freshman, my sophomore, and my junior year. The NFL sent me back a letter. It simply read, dear Emmanuel, you will not be drafted in the first three rounds. Excuse you? I won't be drafted in the first three rounds. So what did I do, TED? AUDIENCE it's simple. I set a goal that day. But you know what they say about goal setting. You gotta write it down, commit it to memory. So I highlighted the sheet of paper. Dear Emanuel, you won't be drafted in the first three rounds. And I put it above my bed in my condo in Austin, Texas. Every morning I woke up, I looked at it. Dear Emanuel, you won't be drafted in the first three rounds. Every night before I went to sleep, I looked at it. Dear Emmanuel, you won't be drafted in the first three rounds. I worked tirelessly my senior year in college with one goal in mind. Be drafted in the first three rounds of the NFL draft. Those are the most prestigious rounds. After all, 6am workouts in college study hall class. I'm doing it all with one goal in mind. Well, fast forward one year later. I'm at the NFL Combine. The NFL Combine. It is the job interview. I'm in front of 32 billionaires, 32 of the richest men in America, if not the richest men in the world. They are the owners of every NFL team. I'm running the 40 yard dash. The 40 yard dash is one of the testing metrics you use at the NFL Combine. With millions of dollars on the line, the faster you run, the higher you get drafted. I take my mark. I proceed to run. I hear pop, pop, pop. I keep running. I think my heels are clicking. Pop, pop, pop. I clutch my quad. I fall to the ground. It was my quad being torn off the bone. I rip my quad off the bone. I'm falling in ground, in agony in front of the 32 billionaires. I didn't get drafted in the first three rounds of the NFL draft. I made a decision that day, in that moment to stop setting goals. My self esteem ruined. Self efficacy ruined. That last year of my life seemingly gone to waste because I had one goal, y'. All. It was simple. Be drafted in the first three rounds. Then I tore my quad and it all fell apart. What I failed to mention thus far is why I tore my quad two days prior at the NFL combine. I weighed in at 240 pounds. In the NFL, the bigger you are, the better. But as you all know, weight it don't move all that fast. So I cut 10 pounds within two days. I ran the 40 yard dash two days later at 230 pounds. Dehydrated, dieted for two days. Why? Because I was so focused on my goal that I caused harm to myself. It's not that goals don't add value, it's just that the risk of goal setting is greater than the potential reward. Think about it in your own life for a moment. Maybe you have the goal of being in a relationship so you ignore the toxic behavior. Think about it in your own life. See, one of my greatest accomplishments to date, being an NFL player. Because ultimately I did play for four years. I view negatively because I didn't hit my goal. Maybe that's the same for some of you. Maybe you have the goal of reading a certain amount of books In a year, you've become a much more proficient reader, but you didn't hit your goal. Maybe you had a goal of making a certain amount of money for your business. You are a thriving entrepreneur, but you didn't hit your goal. I left the NFL. I became a content creator, where I would live a much more limitless life. I'll get to that. More here in a moment. The question now is why in the world do we set goals? Well, first, let's define a goal a goal. By definition, it is the end towards which effort is aimed. But why would I start something with the end in mind? In working on my master's degree in sports psychology, I focused on goal setting. I wrote my final thesis on it, and I realized we set goals for three primary reasons. The first we've been indoctrinated with this belief that we have to set a goal to to achieve. There's a popularized study, which has since been debunked, which said the person who writes their goals down and commits them to memory, they will earn twice as much money as the person who doesn't. So what you want me to believe is the difference between $1,000,000 and $500,000? Is this what you want me to believe is the difference between $100,000 and $50,000 is simply this can't be. Now, these ideas aren't completely off base. The problem is very simple. They're misidentifying causation and correlation. Surely there is a correlation between the person who is willing to go the extra mile and write their goal down and the person who's willing to go the extra mile in their business. But no. The reason you're making twice as much money is not because you wrote your goal down. The second reason we set goals. Goals give us a North Star motivation. As if we'd just be wandering around life aimlessly if we didn't set a goal. The final reason we set goals we have this insatiable desire for feedback. And feedback it is a predecessor is a necessary aspect of goal setting. Think about it in your own life. Did this Instagram post get as many likes as that Instagram post? Did this tweet get as many likes as my last tweet? How about this TikTok post? Did it get as many shares as my last? We have this insatiable desire for feedback. You know, I made a mistake earlier. I said the surest way to fail in life is to set a goal. But in all honesty, the only way to fail in life is to set a goal. Think about Anything you've ever failed at, maybe relationally, occupationally, educationally, that marriage had ended in divorce, you didn't get into that college that you wanted to, you didn't pass the mcat, you didn't pass the lsat, whatever the case may be. It was all tethered to a goal. It's not just that the surest way to fail in life is to set a goal. The only way to fail in life is to set a goal. So what do I suggest we do instead? Here it is. You have an objective with no limitations. Now, I know what you're thinking. Acho, that's semantics. No, the small difference will have a huge impact in your life. Objective effort, aimed in a direction, a goal, the end towards which energy is aimed. Your objective, it should be subjective, it should be subject to people's interpretation. That way you do not fail. But you can't simultaneously subscribe to the notion of possibility while still being held captive by goal setting. The laws of goal setting completely undermine the freedom of possibility. So if we're being honest with ourselves, we have to choose one, because possibility is limitless. But goal setting, oh, it's fixated on an end. If you want to have a $10 million business, you'll set that goal. And you might do just that. Have a ten million dollar business. Congratulations. You'll work towards a ten million dollars business. But what if it could have been more? If you want to run a mile without stopping, you'll work towards it. And you might do just that, having never known if you could have run a marathon. What does it look like, practically? Kirk Hammett, lead guitarist for Metallica. He never had the goal of winning eight Grammys. He never had the goal of selling 125 million records. Never had the goal of being a rock star. He simply said, and I quote, I just want to play my guitar a little bit better every day. See, because with that there is no end. A goal, by its definition, it is focused on an ending, which means inherently a goal is limiting. It's not that goals in and of themselves have no value. It's just, what about the damage you have done to yourself? Your self esteem, your self efficacy, the way in which you view yourself when you look at yourself? What about that damage? I'm not saying don't achieve, I'm saying achieve limitlessly. Let go of the captivity of goal setting and achieve all you actually have to achieve. So what is my objective? With no limitations? Very simply put, to be considered one of the most creative people the television industry has ever seen. Because if I would have achieved my goal of being drafted in the first three rounds of the NFL draft, I never would have achieved this. Winning a Primetime Emmy Award and sharing that moment with my mom. But just as important importantly, if I would have achieved my goal of being drafted in the first three rounds of the NFL draft, I wouldn't be standing in front of you all today. Why? Because if you hear nothing else, truly, if you hear nothing else, hear this. I'm begging each and every one of you to hear this. The goal that you achieve, it's actually the penalty that you receive for having set that goal in the first place. Thank you. Thank you.
- [15:20]
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That was Emmanuel acho speaking at TED 2023. This talk was originally published in September of that year. Thanks for listening to our TED Talks Daily Playlist. 10 talks to motivate you. We've got many more talks that can motivate you, so if you have the time, head on over to Ted.com playlists to check out more curated playlists on a variety of topics. And that's it for today. TED Talks Daily is part of the TED Audio Collective. This talk was produced and edited by Martha Estefanos, Oliver Friedman, Brian Greene, Lucy Little and Tonsika Songmanivong. Additional support from Emma Tobner and Daniela Ballaraizo. I'm Elise Hu. I'll be back tomorrow with a fresh idea for your feed. Thanks for listening.
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- [16:47]
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