Podcast appearances and mentions of gary latham

SMART goal setting is the gold standard for achievement and success. Michel & Daniels (2002) said that goal-setting is “quite easily the single most dominant theory in the field, with over a thousand articles and reviews published on the topic in a little over 30 years.” In 1990, two researchers published a book that caught the attention of many people in business and management circles. Edwin Locke and Gary Latham developed a theory of goal setting, providing a framework for achieving success. They said that whether we are consciously or unconsciously pursuing our goals, we do so nonetheless, and this goal-directed action shares three common features;* Self-Generation The actions of living organisms are fuelled by a source integral to the organism.* Value Significance All goal-directed behaviour has value significance for the organism in terms of its survival.* Goal Causation Goal attainment is caused by consciousness, the person's vision, expectation, and imagination for a future state.Locke and Latham were highly critical of the behaviourist view. Behaviourism stated that your actions are a consequence of environmental contingencies. In other words, your behaviour is a consequence of the promise of reward or the threat of punishment. Instead, Locke and Latham stated that there is causal efficacy of consciousness in goal pursuits. In other words, goal pursuit is caused by consciousness. Goal Setting Theory assumes that human actions are directed by conscious goals and intentions.The SMART Goal Setting FrameworkThe SMART framework is derived from Locke & Latham's work on Goal Setting Theory. Cognitive behavioural therapies, such as Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) (Hayes et al., 2006), take it a step further, suggesting that setting goals guided by our values is of critical importance. Therefore, before setting any goals, it is essential to clarify the underlying value(s) that drive these objectives. There are different versions of this acronym. In Harris' version, taken from the book The Happiness Trap, SMART stands for:S - Specific: specify the actions you will take, when and where you will do so, and who or what is involved. Example of a vague or non-specific goal: “I will spend more time with my kids.” A specific goal: “I will take the kids to the climbing wall on Saturday.”M - Meaningful: The goal should be personally meaningful to you if it is genuinely guided by your values, rather than trying to please others or avoid pain. If it lacks a sense of meaning or purpose, check in and see if it is really guided by your values.A - Adaptive: Does the goal help you to take your life forward in a direction that, as far as you can predict, is likely to improve the quality of your life and that of others? Is it adaptive?R - Realistic: The goal should be realistically achievable. Take into account your health, competing demands on your time, financial status, and whether you need to develop new skills to achieve it.T - Time-bound: To increase the specificity of your goal, set a day, date and time for it. If this is not possible, set as accurate a time limit as you can.Download the worksheets* Personal Values Worksheet* SMART(er) Goal SettingWhat are the benefits of achieving this goal?What are the potential pitfalls and what will you do if they arise?Write a commitment statement.Follow the Russ Harris worksheets hereEssential Mental Skills Is Launching SoonThe Essential Mental Skills Course is launching soon. It is a structured introduction to mental skill development and contains lecture videos, slides, resources, a workbook, and kicks off with a live group Zoom orientation call. This course brings together what I've learned from my 30 years in business, 10 years in psychology, lecturing and private practice experience in a single system to help you achieve better mental health and optimise your performance in work, sport or business. Find out more and join the waiting list here. Get full access to Peak Performer at peak.humanperformance.ie/subscribe

How can one effectively achieve their goals? What insights does scientific research offer, and how can we leverage the latest findings to enhance our goal-attainment strategies?Discover the common pitfalls that hinder goal achievement and learn about the key focus areas identified by science, distinguishing successful individuals from those who fall short. Gain valuable insights into the essential steps for setting goals and explore methods to establish regular checkpoints for consistent progress.Embark on an engaging exploration of the world of goal setting in our latest episode, where we uncover the science and tactics behind successful goal attainment.

Welcome to another empowering episode of Define Success with your host, Matt Lupi. In today's episode, titled "The Goal Setting Toolkit," Matt delves into the profound world of goal setting, breaking down the science and strategies behind achieving success in any aspect of life. In this enlightening discussion, Matt explores the fundamental question: What is a goal? A goal is not just a distant aspiration; it's a conscious effort aligned with your values, the driving force behind your actions. Matt draws from the extensive research of Edwin Locke and Gary Latham, who conducted over 400 studies on goals, to unveil the science of effective goal setting. Locke and Latham's findings underscore the importance of specificity, difficulty, acceptance, feedback, and deadlines in setting and achieving goals. Specific goals propel you to higher performance levels, while challenging yet attainable objectives push you to grow. Acceptance of your goals is crucial, requiring a personal commitment akin to a private meeting with yourself. Feedback is the compass guiding your progress, and deadlines infuse urgency and effectiveness into your pursuit. However, Matt doesn't stop there. He explores the common pitfalls of goal setting and shares insights from the book "Self" by Kathleen Vohs and Brandon Schmeichel. With a touch of humor, he discusses the importance of self-regulation, urging listeners to recognize that change begins within, much like the lightbulb that has to want to change itself. Dr. Andrew Huberman's perspective adds a new layer to the conversation, emphasizing that dopamine, the neurotransmitter associated with pleasure, peaks not when a goal is achieved, but during its pursuit. Matt encourages listeners to find joy in the daily grind, understanding that progress and consistency yield greater rewards than the ultimate achievement. To help you dial in your goals, Matt offers practical tactics. Ask yourself if a goal is truly worth pursuing, write it down consistently, track your progress, and find an accountability partner. However, he cautions against falling into the dopamine trap and reminds us that the journey is never truly done. Always see the bigger picture and consider what comes next after achieving a goal. Tune in to Define Success to equip yourself with the Goal Setting Toolkit, unlocking the secrets to turning your aspirations into tangible achievements. Get ready to embrace the pursuit, find joy in progress, and redefine your path to success!

Words matter. Unbelievably, tiny changes to language can have a big effect on behavior. Hear bestselling author, Jonah Berger reveal the magic words that can completely transform how we behave, in this riveting episode. Almost everything we do involves words. But have you ever stopped to consider how much influence the words you choose can have on the person reading your email, or listening to your presentation? Some words are more impactful than others. In fact, we can captivate, motivate and convince people with our words. But which words are the most powerful?  Listen in to find out: How words can shape our identity. Tips on using language to positively affect our relationships. How simply changing the words in an email can dramatically alter behavior. Jonah Berger's last book, “Magic Words: What To Say To Get Your Way” is a succinct summary of the latest scientific research on words and language. Jonah joins us on Behavioral Grooves, not only to tell us about what to expect in the book, but also to recount the story of how the idea for the book was sparked by a delayed flight. Jonah is a former guest of Behavioral Grooves Podcast, having previously been on the show to discuss his bestselling book The Catalyst: How to Change Anyone's Mind. He is a professor at The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and is known as a world-renowned expert on natural language processing, word of mouth, influence, consumer behavior, and why things catch on.  Word of mouth is the number one way that new listeners find out about Behavioral Grooves podcast. If you feel wiser having listened to this episode, please share it on social media or email it to your friends and encourage them to become a listener too. Thank you! Topics  (3:27) Welcome and speed round questions. (5:09) Why asking for advice makes us actually seem smarter. (7:17) Using abstract vs. concrete language. (12:42) How Jonah researched the use of language. (16:49) How can our language affect our relationships. (19:31) Turning actions into identities. (22:47) Priming behavior with language. (25:00) Do the lyrics of songs help explain their success? (28:27) Grooving Session with Tim and Kurt on why words matter.   © 2023 Behavioral Grooves   Links  Jonah Berger: https://jonahberger.com/  Jonah's book, “Magic Words: What To Say To Get Your Way”: https://amzn.to/3Kp9r9T  Episode 201, The Counterintuitive Persuasion of The Catalyst with Jonah Berger: https://behavioralgrooves.com/episode/the-catalyst-with-jonah-berger/  Episode 147, Gary Latham, PhD: Goal Setting, Prompts, Priming, and Skepticism: https://behavioralgrooves.com/episode/gary-latham-goal-setting-prompts/  Episode 319, John Bargh: Want to Know How Priming Works? It Starts With Your Conscious, Not Your Unconscious: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4B_UYYPb-Gk&ab_channel=RUNDMCVEVO  Leonardelli, Geoffrey & Pickett, Cynthia & Brewer, Marilynn. (2010). Optimal Distinctiveness Theory. Advances in Experimental Social Psychology: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/241065845_Optimal_Distinctiveness_Theory  Behavioral Grooves Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/behavioralgrooves   Musical Links  Suzanne Vega, DNA “Tom's Diner”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j4jtIDaeaWI  RUN DMC - Walk This Way featuring Aerosmith: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4B_UYYPb-Gk&ab_channel=RUNDMCVEVO

“The primary source of unconscious priming…is your conscious experience.” Our consciousness is where we bring everything together, where we integrate and form a rich integration of our experience. This result is that this experience gets spread out to all the processes of the mind which is pivotal to how priming, an unconscious effect, actually works. John Bargh is a researcher and professor at Yale University and is probably the leading researcher on behavioral priming and has been studying this topic for almost 40 years. Not only that but he is a long term friend of Behavioral Grooves Podcast. In this episode with John, we explore with him both the past and future of priming as well as some of the controversies surrounding it.  “The more important the goal, the more primable it is”   Topics (4:36) Welcome and speed round questions. (7:50) Why priming gets a bad rap. (13:01) What exactly is a prime? (16:17) Where does future research in priming need to go? (19:46) How does priming differ from expectation theory and the placebo effect? (22:33) How is framing not priming? (24:07) What is the summation of experience? (32:02) The stupid reason John went into social psychology. (40:51) What the meta analysis studies on priming have found. (45:50) Science communication: how to tell the good science from the bad. (49:03) The importance of podcasting to bridge the gap between science and people. (1:00:03) Grooving session with Tim and Kurt on priming.    © 2022 Behavioral Grooves   Links John Bargh book “Before You Know It: The Unconscious Reasons We Do What We Do”: https://amzn.to/3yUHka8 Episode 248, Do We Control Situations or Do Situations Control Us? With John Bargh: https://behavioralgrooves.com/episode/control-situations-with-john-bargh/  Episode 155, John Bargh: Dante, Coffee and the Unconscious Mind: https://behavioralgrooves.com/episode/john-bargh-unconscious-mind/  Global Workspace Theory: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_workspace_theory  Bargh JA. “What have we been priming all these years? On the development, mechanisms, and ecology of nonconscious social behavior.” Eur J Soc Psychol. 2006: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19844598/  Shinobu Kitayama, University of Michigan: https://lsa.umich.edu/psych/people/faculty/kitayama.html  Daphna Oyserman, University of Southern California: https://dornsife.usc.edu/daphna-oyserman  Paul J. Reber, Northwestern University: https://www.reberlab.psych.northwestern.edu/people/paul/  Daniel Schacter, “Amnesia observed: Remembering and forgetting in a natural environment” (1983): https://psycnet.apa.org/record/1983-26025-001  Parafoveal Processing: https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/psychology/parafoveal-processing  Jeffrey W. Sherman (2017) “A Final Word on Train Wrecks”: https://psychology.ucdavis.edu/people/sherm/cv  Evan Weingarten, Qijia Chen, Maxwell McAdams, Jessica Yi, Justin Hepler, Dolores Albarracin (2016) “On Priming Action: Conclusions from a Meta-Analysis of the Behavioral Effects of Incidentally-Presented Words”: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27957520/  Xiao Chen, Gary P. Latham, Ronald F. Piccolo, Guy Itzchakov (2019) “An Enumerative Review and a Meta-Analysis of Primed Goal Effects on Organizational Behavior”: https://iaap-journals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/apps.12239  Roy F. Baumeister and Kathleen D. Vohs (2003): “Sobriety Epidemic Endangers Nation's Well-Being”: https://www.psychologicalscience.org/observer/sobriety-epidemic-endangers-nations-well-being  Episode 147, Gary Latham, PhD: Goal Setting, Prompts, Priming, and Skepticism: https://behavioralgrooves.com/episode/gary-latham-goal-setting-prompts/     Musical Links  AC/DC “Hells Bells”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=etAIpkdhU9Q  Psychedelic Porn Crumpets “Acid Dent”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OuQyIQ0NA0k  acid dad “Searchin'”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PzSwzUAqVWw  The Orb “Blue Room”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TQ8nTbS9mOE  Nirvana “Smells Like Teen Spirit”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hTWKbfoikeg  Pearl Jam “Black”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qgaRVvAKoqQ  The Who “Who You Are”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PNbBDrceCy8  Led Zeppelin “All My Love”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gXC87EABywo  Dead Pirates “Alexis”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o9FsgAyZop4  Hadestown Broadway Show “Way Down Hadestown”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nJIc3RtJK7U 

Priming studies have had some negative press over the past ten years - some of it justified, some of it not. In this groove track, Kurt and Tim examine a 2018 study done by Alexander Stajkovic, Kayla Sergent, Gary Latham, and Suzanne Peterson called “Prime and Performance: Can a CEO Motivate Employees Without Their Awareness?”  This field study, with real-world implications, demonstrated that the choice of words had an impact on company performance. The impact was not just statistically significant, but it had real-world significance as well. The researchers replaced 12 words in a company President's e-mail message to his employees. The impact that those 12 words had on performance was wild.   Kurt and Tim examine how the study was set up, the type of priming used, how performance was measured, and explore some of the key findings. We try to peel back the reasons why the interventions worked as it did, and discuss both the positive implications of this study, as well as things we should be wary of.   Listen now or find out more about this paper in our blog post. Enjoy! 

Shankar Vedantam is the host of the wildly popular podcast, Hidden Brain and esteemed author of the book Useful Delusions: The Power and Paradox of the Self-Deceiving Brain. We initially interviewed Shankar in mid 2021 but want to highlight this discussion for you again as it is one we still discuss in more recent episodes. Before reading Shankar's book and interviewing him for this podcast we were, as Shankar describes himself, card-carrying rationalists. We were firmly in the camp of believing rational, scientific findings and believing that lies and deception are harmful to ourselves and to our communities. However, Shankar walks us through a compelling argument, that paradoxically, self-deception actually plays a pivotal role in our happiness and well-being. In our discussion with Shankar we cover: (6:38) Speed round questions. (11:04) The difference between self delusions being useful and being harmful. (16:23) How nations are a delusional construct. (23:00) Awareness of self-delusions and how daily gratitudes can shift our perspective of the world.  (25:56) Shankar's personal story of delusional thinking.  (29:58) The role emotions play in our mood and delusions. (35:23) How avoidance of delusional thinking is a sign of privilege. (37:30) Why our perceptions play an important role in understanding delusions. (44:36) Shankar's unique approach to conspiracy theories. (52:28) What music Shankar has been listening to during COVID. (52:15) Grooving Session and Bonus Track with Kurt and Tim. We really hope you find Shankar's unique insight on how delusions are useful as compelling as we did. If you're a regular Behavioral Grooves listener, please consider supporting us through Patreon. Thank you!  © 2022 Behavioral Grooves   Books  Useful Delusions: The Power and Paradox of the Self-Deceiving Brain https://amzn.to/2PUkzlv  The Hidden Brain: How Our Unconscious Minds Elect Presidents, Control Markets, Wage Wars and Save Our Lives https://amzn.to/3e1qgWY Links Noise: A Flaw in Human Judgment by Kahneman, Sibony and Sunstein, 2021 https://amzn.to/3heyr5r  Richard Dawkins https://richarddawkins.net/  Mahabharata https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahabharata  Lake Wobegon Effect https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Wobegon    Other Episodes We Talk About The Myth of the “Relationship Spark” with Logan Ury (featuring a guest appearance by Christina Gravert, PhD): https://behavioralgrooves.com/episode/the-myth-of-the-relationship-spark-with-logan-ury-featuring-a-guest-appearance-by-christina-gravert-phd/ Robert Cialdini, PhD: Littering, Egoism and Aretha Franklin: https://behavioralgrooves.com/episode/robert-cialdini-phd-littering-egoism-and-aretha-franklin/  Self Control, Belonging, and Why Your Most Dedicated Employees Are the Ones To Watch Out For with Roy Baumeister: https://behavioralgrooves.com/episode/self-control-belonging-and-why-your-most-dedicated-employees-are-the-ones-to-watch-out-for-with-roy-baumeister/ George Loewenstein: On a Functional Theory of Boredom: https://behavioralgrooves.com/episode/george-loewenstein-on-a-functional-theory-of-boredom/ Gary Latham, PhD: Goal Setting, Prompts, Priming, and Skepticism: https://behavioralgrooves.com/episode/gary-latham-phd-goal-setting-prompts-priming-and-skepticism/ John Bargh: Dante, Coffee and the Unconscious Mind: https://behavioralgrooves.com/episode/john-bargh-dante-coffee-and-the-unconscious-mind/ Linda Thunstrom: Are Thoughts and Prayers Empty Gestures to Suffering Disaster Victims? https://behavioralgrooves.com/episode/linda-thunstrom-are-thoughts-and-prayers-empty-gestures-to-suffering-disaster-victims/ 

Probably everything you know about setting goals and how to achieve them rests on the research of Dr. Edwin Locke and Gary Latham in the 1980s.Dr. Edwin Locke is also the author of the underrated book The Prime Movers which is as good if not better than Good to Great.In this show, we talk about Dr. Locke's pioneering research on the theory of goal setting along with the men and women who are wealth creators.

Can we control our unconscious behavior? How much does the situation we're in control us? Can we prime people to behave a certain way? Is it even ethical to try? To what degree do cultural identity and stereotyping impact the automaticity of our actions? Following on from our discussion with Dr Philip Zimbardo PhD, in our last episode (#247) about the Stanford Prison Experiment, we reached out to our friend and previous guest (episode #155), Dr John Bargh PhD, social psychologist at Yale University. As the world's leading expert on the unconscious mind, John gave us fresh insight on how our behavior is primed by factors such as our cultural identity and even by who we are thinking about. Interestingly our conversation shifted towards changing attitudes in society and in particular the inspiration stance that athletes such as Simone Biles and Naomi Osaka have taken recently to prioritize their mental health. John describes them as pioneers: “what pioneers and leaders do is they give an alternative example for the other people and say, “You know what, you don't have to do this, here's what I did.”” In our last interview with John, he left us with some parting wisdom; to hug our children more. We couldn't resist asking him for some more wise words, so listen to the end to find out John's advice to all of us. Word of mouth continues to be the best way for new listeners to find Behavioral Grooves. Please consider sharing your favorite episodes with your friends. And if you want to help more, your financial support goes a long way. You can donate via our Patreon page at https://www.patreon.com/behavioralgrooves. And thank you to all of our loyal listeners who already donate to our podcast. Topics we discuss with John Bargh (3:58) Welcome to John Bargh and speed round questions. (7:50) Nature vs nurture? (11:51) A summary of John's research on automaticity and priming. (15:04) How you activate a different cultural identity. (19:42) How did the Stanford Prison Experiment impact social psychology research? (25:09) Do we control situations or do situations control us? (30:14) Can you prime someone to commit murder? (35:17) How Simone Biles is an example of changing attitudes in society. (37:14) Are employees starting to self-select which corporation they work for? (44:29) What direction is the research on priming and automaticity heading in the future? (47:33) What research is John engaged in right now? (50:08) How can we prevent ourselves from being influenced by our context? (52:46) John's wise parting advice. (56:28) Grooving Session with Kurt and Tim discussing the interview.   © 2021 Behavioral Grooves Links John Bargh book “Before You Know It: The Unconscious Reasons We Do What We Do”: https://amzn.to/3yUHka8  Episode 155: John Bargh: Dante, Coffee and the Unconscious Mind: https://behavioralgrooves.com/episode/john-bargh-dante-coffee-and-the-unconscious-mind/ William James: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_James  Rozin, Paul. (1976): “The evolution of intelligence and access to the cognitive unconscious.” Progress in Psychobiology and Physiological Psychology: https://bit.ly/37JnBhI  Cushman, Fiery (2019): “Rationalization is Rational”, Behavioral and Brain Sciences: https://bit.ly/2VRicTG  Episode 229: From Holding the Mic to Theory of Mind: Rob Leonard's Love of Language: https://behavioralgrooves.com/episode/rob-leonards-love-of-language/ Stanford Prison Experiment: https://behavioralgrooves.com/episode/stanford-prison-experiment/  Rosanna Summers: http://www.roseannasommers.com/  Vanessa Bohns: “You Have More Influence Than You Think: How We Underestimate Our Power of Persuasion, and Why It Matters”: https://amzn.to/3g5Omlg  Lee Ross: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lee_Ross  Kerri Strug: https://www.today.com/news/kerri-strug-shares-her-support-simone-biles-rest-usa-gymnasts-t226636  Simone Biles: https://www.simonebiles.com/  Naomi Osaka: https://www.naomiosaka.com/  Episode 147: Gary Latham, PhD: Goal Setting, Prompts, Priming, and Skepticism: https://behavioralgrooves.com/episode/gary-latham-goal-setting-prompts/ Support Behavioral Grooves Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/behavioralgrooves Musical Links  Jimi Hendrix “Somewhere”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G-THhwh5mNI  Jimmy Page (Led Zepplin) “Stairway to Heaven”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QkF3oxziUI4 

How can your organization improve its marketing messaging using proven behavioral science techniques? As part of our series on Marketing & Employee Engagement this month, we were joined by Melina Palmer on our latest interview episode (#242). Melina Palmer is the founder of The Brainy Business podcast and author of “What Your Customer Wants and Can't Tell You: Unlocking Consumer Decisions with the Science of Behavioral Economics”: https://amzn.to/36Rm88I. She is an expert on both marketing and behavioral economics and blends techniques from both fields in her writing and podcast.  This follow-up episode is a free-flowing Grooving Session where Tim and Kurt discuss the business applications of their discussion with Melina. This episode is best enjoyed after listening to our interview episode.  What you will learn from this episode: The science behind dopamine release. How to use rewards (incentives or lotteries) effectively to motivate employees. Why priming is one of the most underutilized marketing tools. And one of our favorite topics; why context matters when communicating a message. If you are a regular listener to Behavioral Grooves, please consider donating to our work through Patreon  https://www.patreon.com/behavioralgrooves. We also love reading your reviews on the podcast, which gives other listeners social proof that we're worth listening to! © 2021 Behavioral Grooves  Links  Melina Palmer, What Your Customer Wants and Can't Tell You: Unlocking Consumer Decisions with the Science of Behavioral Economics: https://amzn.to/36Rm88I  Episode 147: Gary Latham, PhD: Goal Setting, Prompts, Priming, and Skepticism https://behavioralgrooves.com/episode/gary-latham-goal-setting-prompts/ Episode 235: Make Choice Rewarding: Behavioral Insights in Marketing with Matthew Willcox https://behavioralgrooves.com/episode/marketing-matthew-willcox/ The Willpower Instinct by Kelly McGonigal https://www.learningjourneys.net/post/the-willpower-instinct-by-kelly-mcgonigal

NOISE (https://amzn.to/3heyr5r) is set to be the next behavioral science bestseller. Daniel Kahneman, Cass Sunstein and Olivier Sibony describe noise as the unwanted variabilities in our judgments. In our exclusive interview with co-author Olivier Sibony (https://oliviersibony.com/about/) we delve into the fundamentals of noise. What different types of noise are there? Where do we find noise? Why does bias get more attention than noise? And finally, Olivier’s favorite topic; how we can mitigate noise by using decision hygiene and actively open minded thinking. Olivier Sibony is a professor, writer and advisor specializing in the quality of strategic thinking and the design of decision processes. Olivier teaches Strategy, Decision Making and Problem Solving at HEC Paris. He is also an Associate Fellow of Saïd Business School in Oxford University. Olivier’s research centers on improving the quality of decision making by reducing the impact of behavioral biases. He is the author of numerous articles in academic and popular publications, including Before You Make That Big Decision, co-authored with Nobel Prize winner Daniel Kahneman. Our interview with Olivier is, as I’m sure you will agree. absolutely mesmerizing. Learning about the extent of noise in our lives from Olivier and from the new book, is truly enlightening. As their cleverly crafted catchphrase says "wherever there is judgment, there is noise, and more of it than you think." Thankfully, the brilliant team of authors have included lots of ways to combat the noise around us. And we know that our discussion with Olivier is just the first of many that we will have around this groundbreaking topic. Behavioral Grooves strives to bring you insight and research from world-leading experts in behavioral science, like Olivier. And we do this without the use of paid advertising. If you would like to support our continued ad-free work, please consider becoming a Behavioral Grooves patreon by visiting https://www.patreon.com/behavioralgrooves thank you. © 2021 Behavioral Grooves Topics We Discuss (4:38) Welcome to Olivier Sibony and speed round quesitons (7:51) The difference between bias and noise (11:32) Why has bias received more attention than noise? (14:15) Where noise can be found? (22:32) What is Decision Hygiene? (26:35) How to implement mitigation techniques against noise? (29:32) Actively Open Minded Thinking and what it means for leadership and education (38:45) What are the different types of noise? (44:18) The role of moral philosophical foundations and noise (49:28) Music  (54:06) Grooving Session and Bonus Track Olivier Sibony’s Books Noise: A Flaw in Human Judgment by Kahneman, Sibony and Sunstein, 2021 https://amzn.to/3heyr5r You're About to Make a Terrible Mistake: How Biases Distort Decision-Making and What You Can Do to Fight Them https://amzn.to/3u8LBnp  Links Olivier Sibony https://oliviersibony.com/about/  Languedoc wine https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Languedoc-Roussillon_wine  Rhones Valley wine https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rh%C3%B4ne_wine  Dr Itiel Dror https://www.ucl.ac.uk/~ucjtidr/  Apgar Checklist https://www.acog.org/clinical/clinical-guidance/committee-opinion/articles/2015/10/the-apgar-score  John Maynard Keynes https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Maynard_Keynes  Max Bazerman “Better, Not Perfect: A Realist's Guide to Maximum Sustainable Goodness” https://amzn.to/3f4vvqm  Bentham's Utilitarianism https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Utilitarianism  Kant's Deontological Approach https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/ethics-deontological/  Noise: How to Overcome the High, Hidden Cost of Inconsistent Decision Making https://hbr.org/2016/10/noise  Behavioral Grooves Patreon https://www.patreon.com/behavioralgrooves Musical Links  Yo-Yo Ma cellist “Bach Cello Suite No. 1 in G Major” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1prweT95Mo0  Billy Evans “My Foolish Heart” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a2LFVWBmoiw  Keith Garrett “I Grew Up Today” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0PerFVC6KbU  Oscar Peterson “C Jam Blues” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NTJhHn-TuDY  More Great Episodes Of Behavioral Grooves  Episode 220: How Do You Become Influential? Jon Levy Reveals His Surprising Secrets   https://behavioralgrooves.com/episode/how-to-be-influential-jon-levy/ Episode 211: A Thousand Thanks: A Lifetime of Experiments and Gratitude with AJ Jacobs  https://behavioralgrooves.com/episode/a-thousand-thanks-with-aj-jacobs/ Episode 204: How Shellye Archambeau Flies Like an Eagle  https://behavioralgrooves.com/episode/shellye-archambeau-like-an-eagle/ Episode 176: Annie Duke on How to Decide https://behavioralgrooves.com/episode/annie-duke-on-how-to-decide/ Episode 147: Gary Latham, PhD: Goal Setting, Prompts, Priming, and Skepticism  https://behavioralgrooves.com/episode/gary-latham-phd-goal-setting-prompts-priming-and-skepticism/ Episode 38: Linnea Gandhi: Crushing On Statistics https://behavioralgrooves.com/episode/linnea-gandhi-crushing-on-statistics/  

In this episode, we are delighted to welcome Shankar Vedantam, host of the wildly popular podcast, Hidden Brain and esteemed author of the new book Useful Delusions (https://amzn.to/2PUkzlv).  Before reading Shankar’s book and interviewing him for this podcast we were, as Shankar describes himself, card-carrying rationalists. We were firmly in the camp of believing rational, scientific findings and believing that lies and deception are harmful to ourselves and to our communities. However, Shankar walks us through a compelling argument, that paradoxically, self-deception actually plays a pivotal role in our happiness and well-being. In our discussion with Shankar we cover: (6:38) Speed round questions. (11:04) The difference between self delusions being useful and being harmful. (16:23) How nations are a delusional construct. (23:00) Awareness of self-delusions and how daily gratitudes can shift our perspective of the world.  (25:56) Shankar’s personal story of delusional thinking.  (29:58) The role emotions play in our mood and delusions. (35:23) How avoidance of delusional thinking is a sign of privilege. (37:30) Why our perceptions play an important role in understanding delusions. (44:36) Shankar’s unique approach to conspiracy theories. (52:28) What music Shankar has been listening to during COVID. (52:15) Grooving Session and Bonus Track with Kurt and Tim. We really hope you find Shankar’s unique insight on how delusions are useful as compelling as we did. If you’re a regular Behavioral Grooves listener, please consider supporting us through Patreon (https://www.patreon.com/behavioralgrooves). Thank you!  © 2021 Behavioral Grooves   Books  Useful Delusions: The Power and Paradox of the Self-Deceiving Brain https://amzn.to/2PUkzlv  The Hidden Brain: How Our Unconscious Minds Elect Presidents, Control Markets, Wage Wars and Save Our Lives https://amzn.to/3e1qgWY Links Noise: A Flaw in Human Judgment by Kahneman, Sibony and Sunstein, 2021 https://amzn.to/3heyr5r  Richard Dawkins https://richarddawkins.net/  Mahabharata https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahabharata  Lake Wobegon Effect https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Wobegon    Other Episodes We Talk About The Myth of the “Relationship Spark” with Logan Ury (featuring a guest appearance by Christina Gravert, PhD): https://behavioralgrooves.com/episode/the-myth-of-the-relationship-spark-with-logan-ury-featuring-a-guest-appearance-by-christina-gravert-phd/ Robert Cialdini, PhD: Littering, Egoism and Aretha Franklin: https://behavioralgrooves.com/episode/robert-cialdini-phd-littering-egoism-and-aretha-franklin/  Self Control, Belonging, and Why Your Most Dedicated Employees Are the Ones To Watch Out For with Roy Baumeister: https://behavioralgrooves.com/episode/self-control-belonging-and-why-your-most-dedicated-employees-are-the-ones-to-watch-out-for-with-roy-baumeister/ George Loewenstein: On a Functional Theory of Boredom: https://behavioralgrooves.com/episode/george-loewenstein-on-a-functional-theory-of-boredom/ Gary Latham, PhD: Goal Setting, Prompts, Priming, and Skepticism: https://behavioralgrooves.com/episode/gary-latham-phd-goal-setting-prompts-priming-and-skepticism/ John Bargh: Dante, Coffee and the Unconscious Mind: https://behavioralgrooves.com/episode/john-bargh-dante-coffee-and-the-unconscious-mind/ Linda Thunstrom: Are Thoughts and Prayers Empty Gestures to Suffering Disaster Victims? https://behavioralgrooves.com/episode/linda-thunstrom-are-thoughts-and-prayers-empty-gestures-to-suffering-disaster-victims/ 

Prologue: This week, Gary Latham joins the podcast to talk about taking the reigns of the Security Advisor Alliance, at a pivotal time for the organization. If you don't know about the SAA, I highly encourage you to check it out here: https://www.securityadvisoralliance.org/    Guest Gary Latham LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gary-latham-8bb62925/ 

[NOTE: This episode is republished from #92 in October 2019.] Goals are often misunderstood. Goals are much more than just objectives that are handed down to subordinates. Rather, goals are self-determined in the best cases, and at the very least, are set collaboratively to get the most out of them. We discuss Goal Setting Theory (GST), results from research that Tim conducted, and we address the three key elements that must be included to maximize the effect of the goals: 1. The goals must be perceived as achievable. Without perceived achievability, the goal is not accepted and, therefore, not a goal. 2. There must be some involvement with those who are executing the goals. If the goal is handed down from on high without meaningful participation from the person who’s going to act on it, it’s not a goal. 3. There must be a positive relationship between the goal and the reward (including a perceived assessment of risk). As the risk of achievability increases, so must the perceived value of the reward. This short grooving session also delves into some myths and how to deal with them. Ultimately, we want listeners to come away with a clear understanding of the powerful results than can be obtained with practical and effective use of self-selected goals.    Links Zig Ziglar: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zig_Ziglar Goal-Setting Theory: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goal_setting Edward Locke: https://peakon.com/us/blog/future-work/edwin-locke-goal-setting-theory/ Gary Latham:  http://www.rotman.utoronto.ca/FacultyAndResearch/Faculty/FacultyBios/Latham Howard Klein: https://fisher.osu.edu/people/klein.12 Ran Kivetz: https://www8.gsb.columbia.edu/cbs-directory/detail/rk566 George Loewenstein: https://www.cmu.edu/dietrich/sds/people/faculty/george-loewenstein.html Saurabh Bhargava: https://www.cmu.edu/dietrich/sds/people/faculty/saurabh-bhargava.html Raghuram Bommaraju: https://www.isb.edu/faculty-research/faculty/directory/bommaraju-raghuram

Gary Latham, PhD is the Secretary of State Professor of Organizational Behaviour at the Rotman School of Management in the University of Toronto. His research in the field of organizational psychology has yielded over 200 peer-reviewed publications and he has written several books on the topic of goal setting. He and his lifelong research partner, Ed Locke PhD, are responsible for Goal Setting Theory, prized by both the scientific community and sales leaders around the world. He is the only recipient of both the Distinguished Contributions to Science award and the Practice award from SIOP. Top it off, he is only the second researcher we’ve talked to on Behavioral Grooves that was cited in Kurt’s dissertation. In our discussion with Professor Latham, we reviewed Goal Setting Theory, specific goals, participatory goals and talked about the relative importance of inductive and deductive reasoning. More importantly, we covered some of our favorite research on priming and were able to have a discussion about Kurt’s socks: are they prompts or primes? (You’ll have to listen to find out.) If you like what you hear, please feel free to give us a quick review or sign up for cool rewards on our Patreon site (link below). Thanks for your support. NOTE: We encountered some technical challenges while recording our conversation with Professor Latham and it’s audio quality is slightly below our standards. We considered a re-do, but we decided to stick with our original conversation, which is what we present in this episode. We hope you enjoy it. © 2020 Behavioral Grooves   Links Gary Latham, PhD: https://www.rotman.utoronto.ca/FacultyAndResearch/Faculty/FacultyBios/Latham Ed Locke, PhD: https://edwinlocke.com/ “Effects of goal setting and supervision on worker behavior in an industrial situation” (pulpwood industry study): https://psycnet.apa.org/record/1974-28825-001 “The effect of priming goals on organizational‑related behavior: My transition from skeptic to believer”: https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2017-56606-020 Amanda Shantz, PhD: https://www.tcd.ie/business/people/amanda-shantz.php John Bargh, PhD: https://psychology.yale.edu/people/john-bargh Scott Jeffrey, PhD: https://www.monmouth.edu/directory/profiles/scott-a-jeffrey/ Ron Piccolo, PhD: https://business.ucf.edu/person/ron-piccolo/ Farrah Fawcett Poster: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Farrah_Fawcett Jana Gallus, PhD and Bruno Frey, PhD: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0001839218777229 Victoria Shaffer, PhD: https://psychology.missouri.edu/people/shaffer “The Influence of In-Store Music on Wine Selections”: https://mindhacks.com/2006/02/06/music-wine-and-will/ Kurt Nelson, PhD: @whatmotivates Tim Houlihan: @THoulihan Patreon Site for Behavioral Grooves: https://www.patreon.com/behavioralgrooves

Dr. Gary Latham has been one of my superheroes for many years. As the co-founder of Goal Setting Theory and a leading researcher on goal setting and motivation over the last 50 years, he has had a tremendous impact on the field of psychology. Throughout his illustrious career, he has also won numerous teaching awards and served as the president of the Canadian Psychological Association among many others. I had a blast talking to Dr. Latham about goal setting, the biggest mistakes people make, and how to finally stick to your good intentions! Max Out Insights: Goal setting and achievement give you a sense of purpose and accomplishment How to set successful goals: Specific and challenging Specific goals beat vague dreams Take into account ability: If the goal far exceeds your abilities, you won`t commit Goal Commitment: If you don`t commit, you`re wasing your time Get feedback Have a strategy If you focus on your goal and have a plan for getting there, you will be better off even if you don`t achieve it If the end goal is too bit, set sub-goals to have more regular accomplishments “Do your best” goals are all but worthless Finding role models that are on a similar path can help you keep going when you want to quit Take into account your surroundings: Setting up your environment to align with your goals goes a long way in maximizing your performance Tracking your progress helps you get excited about your growth and therefore take better actions Tell people exactly what your goal is and get their support Accomplishment prevents burnout When you set your daily goals, don`t go home before you achieve them Deliberately seek out constructive criticism and feedback to improve your craft If you find that you lack the discipline, get resources (like a trainer at the gym) to help you follow through Make people feel comfortable saying “it stinks” about your work to get useful feedback and get better Max Out Quotes: “If you set these lofty goals but don`t commit, you`re just wasting your time.”

Goals are often misunderstood. Goals are much more than just objectives that are handed down to subordinates. Rather, goals are self-determined in the best cases, and at the very least, are set collaboratively to get the most out of them. We discuss Goal Setting Theory (GST), results from research that Tim conducted, and we address the three key elements that must be included to maximize the effect of the goals: 1. The goals must be perceived as achievable. Without perceived achievability, the goal is not accepted and, therefore, not a goal. 2. There must be some involvement with those who are executing the goals. If the goal is handed down from on high without meaningful participation from the person who’s going to act on it, it’s not a goal. 3. There must be a positive relationship between the goal and the reward (including a perceived assessment of risk). As the risk of achievability increases, so must the perceived value of the reward. This short grooving session also delves into some myths and how to deal with them. Ultimately, we want listeners to come away with a clear understanding of the powerful results than can be obtained with practical and effective use of self-selected goals.   Links Zig Ziglar: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zig_Ziglar Goal-Setting Theory: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goal_setting Edward Locke: https://peakon.com/us/blog/future-work/edwin-locke-goal-setting-theory/ Gary Latham:  http://www.rotman.utoronto.ca/FacultyAndResearch/Faculty/FacultyBios/Latham Howard Klein: https://fisher.osu.edu/people/klein.12 Ran Kivetz: https://www8.gsb.columbia.edu/cbs-directory/detail/rk566 George Loewenstein: https://www.cmu.edu/dietrich/sds/people/faculty/george-loewenstein.html Saurabh Bhargava: https://www.cmu.edu/dietrich/sds/people/faculty/saurabh-bhargava.html Raghuram Bommaraju: https://www.isb.edu/faculty-research/faculty/directory/bommaraju-raghuram Raghuram Bommaraju & Sebastian Hohenberg on self-selected goals: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1509/jm.17.0002   Kurt Nelson, PhD: kurt@lanterngroup.com Tim Houlihan: tim@behavioralchemy.com  

Today I am honored to talk to one of the world`s most influential psychologists, Dr. Gary Latham. As the former President of the Canadian Psychological Association and many others, Dr. Latham is one of the world`s leading experts on motivation and goal setting. Biggest Ideas: Set goals you believe in, otherwise goal commitment will be low Milestones are a great way to motivate yourself  “Doing your best” goals aren`t as effective as specific goals (I wish I had known that one in my running career!) Enlist your friends: Tell others about your goals and have them hold you accountable Take into account your surroundings: Setting up your environment to align with your goals goes a long way in maximizing your performance7 Acknowledge progress, no matter how small Accomplishment prevents burnout > Make sure to achieve goals every day Deliberately seek out constructive criticism and feedback to improve your craft If you ask for criticism, make the person giving it feel comfortable so that you can get honest insights Learn more from Dr. Latham: Becoming the Evidence-Based Manager

Google ‘goal setting’ and you get close to 500 million search results. A popular business practice with many points of view, and some management gurus touting its inefficacy. What should leaders do – abandon setting goals and resort to “do your best”? This is the question we asked Dr. Gary Latham, the world’s foremost expert on the topic of goal setting. In this podcast, he shares the scientific-evidence on three types of goals: “do your best,” “specific and challenging,” and “primed” goals. Only one of these is backed by substantial evidence, and another bears great promise but requires additional research. Dr. Latham elaborates on the conditions that make goal setting work and what not to do. A must-listen for managers who set goals.

Podcast Episode 4  Summary In M4M episode 4, “Developing Your Mission,” I discuss the concept of “Developing Your Mission” -- In a past episode, I said-- The first step to being a person or organization ‘on mission’ is simply to have a mission! So, here in episode 4, I begin to think about the question, “How do I get a “mission?”  If you spend 10 minutes to listen to Episode 4, then you will hear some of the things you need to consider in order to “Develop Your Mission.”  As you will hear, there are many factors to consider when you are “Developing Your Mission.” It takes wisdom and discernment. It takes carving out adequate time for careful thought. It takes the discipline of writing down ideas, editing, revising. It takes advice and vetting with trusted friends and colleagues.  Quotable and Notable  A MISSION is a deep, broad, encompassing, significant undertaking. Dr. Fred Foy Strang, M4M, Episode 4  It is important of have the end in mind AND to realize there is a process to getting there. Dr. Fred Foy Strang, M4M, Episode 4  Without counsel, plans go wrong. But with many advisers they succeed. Proverbs 15:22  Recommended Resources  In Episode 4—  Locke, Edwin and Gary Latham. “Building a Practically Useful Theory of Goal Setting and Task Motivation.” American Psychologist (vol 57). The Essential Guide to Writing S.M.A.R.T. Goals  https://www.smartsheet.com/blog/essential-guide-writing-smart-goals SMART Goals: How to Make Your Goals Achievable https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/smart-goals.htm Subscribe  To SUBSCRIBE to Moment for Mission Podcast: https://momentformission.com or via iTUNES-- https://itunes.apple.com/…/…/moment-for-mission/id1448899951  Contact  To Contact Dr. Fred Foy Strang with your comments and feedback: email: fredfoystrang@momentformission.com message line: (+1) 772-882-7200 Tag Lines: mission, vision, goal, purpose, goal-setting, lead, leader, leadership, serve, service, impact. Acknowledgements & Legalities  Music contained within this podcast has been purchased, played by permission, in the public domain, or used under the “fair use” of the Creative Commons Licensure. Every reasonable attempt has been made to follow legal and ethical protocols in the production of this podcast series. Information and action follows the Podcasting Legal Guide. Acknowledgement: http://wiki.creativecommons.org/Podcasting_Legal_Guide © 2006 Colette Vogele of Vogele & Associates, Mia Garlick of Creative Commons and the Berkman Center Clinical Program in Cyberlaw. Moment For Mission by Fred Foy Strang is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. Moment for Mission Podcast @ 2019 Fred Foy Strang, All Rights Reserved.

It's another New Year, and with it comes that perennial question - What's your New Year's resolution? If you're like one third of Canadians, or the people we spoke with on the streets of Toronto, you probably made a fitness or nutrition related goal to work toward this year. But while we have good intentions, many of us don't end up reaching those lofty goals. We find out how to set ourselves up for success by talking about goal-setting with Dr. Gary Latham. Later, physical therapist Sharon Switzer-McIntyre shares her advice for injury prevention so that we can keep on track in pursuit of our goals, and we also chat with Dr. Catherine Sabiston about how to keep motivated so that we can maintain momentum throughout the year!

Priming is a technique whereby exposure to one stimulus influences a response to a subsequent stimulus without conscious guidance or intention. In other words, it’s a subconscious influence on our behavior. And it’s powerful. In this grooving session, Kurt and Tim discuss the power of priming and how the socks you wear can influence your day. We discussed how replicability of many studies has been a challenge for several research projects; however, the effects of priming are no less robust. We talked about the amazing research that Gary Latham, PhD and his colleagues conducted on how a watermark on a tip sheet had dramatic effects on the results achieved. Amazing stuff. CONTEST ALERT! If you’d like a free pair of Einstein “Today I am smart!” priming socks, share this episode on LinkedIn, Twitter or Facebook with: #IWANTSOCKS. We’ll pick randomly to identify 3 winners and we’ll be in touch by the end of the September. Behavioral Grooves 

The Association for Psychological Science has praised today's guest, Dr Edwin A. Locke, saying, "Locke is the most published organizational psychologist in the history of the field. His pioneering research has advanced and enriched our understanding of work motivation and job satisfaction. The theory that is synonymous with his name — goal-setting theory — is perhaps the most widely-respected theory in industrial-organizational psychology.” Dr. Locke is a psychologist and pioneer in goal-setting theory. He’s Dean's Professor (Emeritus) of Leadership and Motivation at the R.H. Smith School of Business at the University of Maryland, College Park. He received his BA from Harvard and his Ph.D. in Industrial Psychology from Cornell University. He’s the author or editor of 12 books, including The Selfish Path to Romance: How to Love with Passion and Reason (with Dr. Ellen Kenner), and his seminal work A Theory of Goal Setting and Task Performance (with Dr. Gary Latham). Dr. Locke also a writer and lecturer for the Ayn Rand Institute and is interested in the application of the philosophy of Objectivism to behavioral sciences. We cover a wide range of topics and Ed provides a breadth of knowledge, advice and life experience that will help you achieve in your business and life. Episode Highlights: Ed Locke: "My god, why would I want to be a regular guy?" Why ED loves the Clint Eastwood quote, "A man's got to know his limitations." Why Ed never had self-doubt and the secret to his self-confidence Why you shouldn't take disapproval seriously Independence vs. mindless obedience Where self-esteem comes from (it's NOT other people) The crucial importance of leisure for a happy life Why ART is so important to a full life Be very selective about your favorites in work, love, friendships, leisure & art Don't Miss a Thing Get every episode automatically! Resources Mentioned Ed's website The Selfish Path to Romance: How to Love With Passion and Reason, by Edwin A. Locke & Ellen Kenner The Prime Movers: Traits of the Great Wealth Creators, by Edwin A. Locke The Illusion of Determinism: Why Free Will is Real and Causal, by Edwin A. Locke Atlas Shrugged, by Ayn Rand The Fountainhead, by Ayn Rand Victor Hugo Thomas Edison General Sherman Winged Victory Venus de Milo Vermeer Share the Value If you enjoyed the show, please rate it on iTunes and write a brief review. That would help a lot to spread the word and get more exposure for the podcast. Ask Questions or Provide Feedback To ask questions, request episode topics or provide feedback, email me at DrOrma@DrOrma.com Connect With Me [fb_button]   Follow @drsteveorma Additional Resources Therapy and coaching with me. **Some of the links above may be affiliate links, which means that if you choose to make a purchase, I’ll earn a commission. This commission comes at no additional cost to you, and I only recommend products or services that I think you’ll enjoy or may be helpful to you.

In the previous episode, we discussed two major emotions that can hold you back from living out your ideal lifestyle. Now that you’re prepared for what is to come, we need to discuss the most important question you will encounter along the journey to lifestyle freedom. What is important to me?! It’s both extremely simple and extremely complicated. We all seem to know some of the things that are important to us such as maintaining our fitness and cultivating meaningful relationships. However, very few of us have actually explored some of the most basic human needs and figured out the type of actions we need to take in order to thrive in those aspects of life. Today, this is what we’ll be discovering together. Discovering Your Ideal Lifestyle: Imagine that you’ve woken up one day with the ability to do absolutely whatever you wanted. You have no monetary restrictions, all of your friends and family are ready to join you in your adventures at a moment’s notice, and you are able to travel anywhere with ease. What would you do? It’s a difficult question to answer. You may not be able to answer that question because you have never considered lifestyle freedom a possibility before. Since we were born, we have been surrounded by societal trends such as 40-hour workweeks, flawless bodies that require extensive gym visits, and family lives that are more stressful than fulfilling. Here’s the truth: It doesn’t have to be this way! In life, you are your own boss. You control what you do, how you go about it, when you do it, where you do it, and who you do it with. You may be thinking, Natalie, I do have monetary restrictions and other things holding me back from living my ideal lifestyle! I understand you completely. While you may not be able to sit down right now, map out the rest of your life, and make it happen by snapping your fingers, you do have the opportunity to make the choice to start moving into a place of freedom. Make that choice right here and right now. Take the leap with me and begin your journey to a life of freedom by figuring out what it is that you truly want. Step 1: Dream, Dream, Dream Remember the question I asked you earlier about your ideal day? I want you to answer it right now. Most importantly, I need you to answer it as specifically as you possibly can. For example, this is how I envision my perfect day: "I wake up in the morning with no alarm and no phone next to my bed and I wake up naturally. I turn to my lover Mr. Josh and I give him lots of kisses, hugs and cuddles. And then little Kayla, who is not so little anymore comes around my side of the bed in for a cuddle, who just snuffles her nose into my hand and I just love, love, love my little white German Shepherd to death. And then I roll out of bed and I roll out the yoga mat and I will do about 20-30 minutes of yoga with Adriene. I recently did a Facebook live about her and I think she is fabulous. She has a free Youtube channel called Yoga with Adriene. I just love her yoga. She’s funny, she’s joyous, she’s grateful and she doesn’t take life too seriously and it’s just a pleasure to do yoga with her. And then I will roll into anywhere from a 5-15 or 20 minute meditation. I’m working my way up into doing more of that and by this stage by the way, before I’ve started my yoga I’ve thrown open the curtains and right outside our windows this gorgeous creamy white rose which is just in full bloom right now. So it’s the first thing that I see in the morning with the sunlight coming up and all the trees and the gorgeous greenery around our lawn and over to the hills in the distance. So it’s a pretty spectacular way to start the morning and given that it’s spring here right now, the sun is already shining on me. So when I’m on my yoga mat I’m getting heated up by the warmth of the sun. And then I have a lovely hot shower which I am so grateful for. And I go through to the kitchen and typically make breakfast with Josh and either do a green smoothie with something really awesome from my garden like kale or spinach and then strawberries, blueberries, banana and coconut water or I go and grab the fresh eggs from our chicken and I make omelets or scrambled eggs or poached eggs with avocado and smoked salmon or bacon because breakfast is my favorite meal of the day. And then and only then, do I actually head over to my laptop and I either set up in the lounge or in the study or out in the coworking barn and I start working in my most important action of the day which I have typically written up the night before or in that moment into our project life spreadsheet and we always try and balance this out across the week between the 8 sort of areas of life that are really important." So that’s just the start of my Perfect Day and I am living it right now which is pretty fantastic. I want you to be able to describe the type of room that you are waking up in. I want you to be able to describe the food that you are eating throughout the day. I need you to be able to envision the exact temperature on the thermostat of the home you are living in. Why am I asking you to be able to state the exact temperature of your house? While it may not seem important, specificity is key to designing your ideal lifestyle. In fact, one study conducted by Gary Latham and Edwin Locke found that 90 percent of people who set challenging, specific goals were able to actually meet them rather than those who had simple goals with no direction. No matter how silly it may seem, think about every possible angle of your perfect day and write it down. You may not need every detail but you will be better prepared for the next step. Step 2: Determine What Matters Most Now that you have a better idea of what you would like to be doing with your time, take a look at your list and go through the 5 W’s: Who- Who was it that you wanted to spend your time with? Did you list your spouse during your perfect day vision? Did some of your old friends crop up while you were daydreaming? Review your notes and come up with a list of the people who appeared most. What- What were you doing during your ideal day? Were you working from home rather than in an office? Were you working out in your own yoga studio? These actions will help you to identify some of the major areas that you want to focus on in the future. When- When were you the most active? On the other hand, when were you experiencing the most relaxation? You may find out that you are currently working when you want to be relaxing and relaxing when you are most energetic. Where- Did you travel? What type of house were you in? What did nature outside of your living area look like? As the saying goes, “if you don’t like where you are, move. You are not a tree.” You may not be happy with where you are currently living and this daydream session will tell you exactly that. Why- Why are you doing the things that you are doing? If this is your perfect day, you must care about the actions you are taking. Evaluate each action you have written down and ask yourself whether or not you care about the thing you are doing, if it adds value to your life, and if it helps you get towards where you want to be. Make sure that you have done this thoroughly. Each category helps you to better determine what you will be working towards once you’ve decided to live a life of freedom. Step 3: Come Up With a Rough Life Sketch Take what you’ve collected over the past few steps and compile it into a rough plan. For example, let’s pretend that I’ve come up with my own life vision where I am living in France, running my own clothing business during the day from my large, well-lit apartment, and spending the majority of my time with my friends during the night. Although this a brief example, I’ve identified who I want to spend my time with, where I want to be, when I want to be doing things, and what I am doing with my time. Why am I doing this? Clearly, I’ve crafted this plan because I truly want to live in France, I love the idea of running a clothing business from home, and I want to be spending my time with friends who care about me. This is by no means a list that will help you to reach said goals and lead a free life. Instead, this is the foundation upon which you will build your ideal life. In episode 3, we will be discussing how to categorize and task out these goals in order to assure complete domination over your ideal lifestyle. And if this is kind of opening your mind up to the possibilities of what you really want to be doing with your life but you don’t feel like you are close to that or if you are actually just wanting to rock out 2018 then you are in for a treat because on November 29th, I am running a LIVE online workshop called “Plan Your Ideal Freedom Year!”. I will personally walk you through my step by step process to have your ideal year, including how to: SET YOUR VISION FOR 2018 and plan out your entire year so you prioritize what matters - we will map this out real-time together and I'll show you behind the scenes of how I plan out my year. MAP OUT YOUR QUARTERLY, MONTHLY and WEEKLY ACTIONS based on your annual goals and the calendar so you know exactly what to do to achieve amazing results in your business in 2018! Take your big vision and plans for 2018 and put them into your OWN CONTENT, MARKETING and EDITORIAL CALENDAR so you feel focused and in control - I'll show you my calendar as a real example of what's possible. Learn my 6 STEP DAILY SUCCESS PLAN to become more productive in a week than you are in a year - no seriously. PLUS you'll learn the key questions EVERY entrepreneur should be able to answer to get you fully prepared to get the most out of this course and your year ahead. BONUS #1: You'll get my awesome Content, Marketing and Editorial Calendar template to use to plan out your amazing year. BONUS #2: You'll get follow up access to the recording of this workshop, broken down into a micro course to work through at your own pace, at any time, as well as a PDF summary handout. Want reliable hosting for your blog and website at 50% off? HostGator allows you to run your business from anywhere, at anytime, with their 99.9% uptime guarantee. HostGator won't take up any room in your suitcase, but will still be there for every step of your adventure with their 24/7/365 live support. Thanks to their 24/7 – 365 days a year live support – which you can get via chat, phone and email – any and all questions you have can be answered in no time at all. HostGator has partnered with me to help my listeners get started. Click the link below to get 50% off any shared hosting plan. Visit https://www.hostgator.com/quest   See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Goal-setting can support your recovery from back pain and lead you to a better quality of life. Part 2 of this episode shows you proven techniques that help you in achieving what you aim for. + download your personal goal-setting sheet for free!!! Get your free Personal-Goal-Setting-Sheet here   Part 1 was about what you should aim for in your recovery:  Increasing physical activity1,2,3,4 improving sleep quality4,5 managing stress4,6  Now let´s dig in how goal-setting can help us in achieving that.  In their Article from 2002 Edwin Locke from University of Maryland and Gary Latham from Univerity of Toronto sum up the evidence about what science knows about the mechanisms of goal-setting.7 Goals affect performance through four mechanisms: direct attention and effort energizing function goals affect persistence, hard goals prolong effort (important for us, recovery process is a long term comittment) goals affect action indirectly by leading to the arousal, discovery, and/or use of task-relevant knowledge and strategies   To sum it up: "Effects of Goal-Setting are very reliable. Goal-setting theory is among the most valid and practical theories in organizational psychology."7 Those with high specific goals reach higher performance than those who tried to do their best. It´s not always that easy and we will talk about what research tells us, what is important in defining goals that help reaching higher performance. And thats exactly what we are looking for.   They further conclude:7 a goal should be specific, proximal goals should be added, proper use of learning goals should be made. What does this mean?   A general goal would be: Increasing physical activity. A specific goal would be: Increase walking distance up to 20 min a day. Translated into a proximal goal: Walk 20 min every day for one week starting today. And you could also add a strategy: Walk 20 min every day, before a get into the car driving to work starting today, or getting out of the bus-stop one station before my destinantion and walk there. Be creative!   So thinking about activity: Set specific Goals. Add a proximal goal and add a strategy   Be clear about why you are doing this! You are not doing this right now to become instantly pain free, you want to increase physical activity, increase quality of sleep and manage stress because in the long run that is what you will benefit from and as aresult will increase your quality of life.   Start with something that you are confident to achieve.8 No doubt there should be some challenge within your set goals. Sucess in reaching your goals will feed your confidence and step by step you can start set higher goals for your self. Goal setting is also about self efficacy, which means confidence in that you can achieve your goals. So thats a reward on it´s own, and we need that in roder to go on with our recovery.   Goals lead to higher performance when people are committed to their goals and receive summary feedback. And there are several ways you can enhance commitment. Through factors that make goal attainment important for you First of all write your goal down. Put your Goals somewhere where you can see them, so that you stay focused and you reflect upon them. Having an accountability buddy helps in multiple ways. The announcement to another person will raise the importance of xour goals for you and if you hold a weekly conversation where you report about your progress or difficulties you will have a fixed time to reflect upon your situation and this feedback will enable you to find better strategies to overcome difficulties.    Resource Section: Goal-Setting-Sheet Get your free Personal-Goal-Setting-Sheet here Set your goals for each day and at the end of the day reflect on them. Did you made it? Great! If not reflect about the reasons for it. Can you think of any strategy how to achieve your goal the next time you will be in the same situation? Could you ask someone for help if it is a time problem? Any strategy is better than no strategy. And by trying out new things you probably will come along with better and better strategies that will work for you.   If you are short on time, make it a 5 min goal. Maybe some stretching, or mobilisation-technique that you already know that you can do before you go to sleep. Find more information at www.mybackrecovery.com    Literature: Sackett DL, Rosenberg WMC, Gray JAM, et al. Evidence based medicine: what it is and what it isn’t. 1996. Clin Orthop Relat Res. 2007;455:3-5. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17340682. Accessed December 16, 2012. Manske RC, Lehecka BJ. Evidence - based medicine/practice in sports physical therapy. Int J Sports Phys Ther. 2012;7(5):461-473. http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=3474298&tool=pmcentrez&rendertype=abstract. Accessed December 16, 2012. Jette DU, Bacon K, Batty C, et al. Evidence-based practice: beliefs, attitudes, knowledge, and behaviors of physical therapists. Phys Ther. 2003;83(9):786-805. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12940766. Accessed October 5, 2012. Hooten W, Timming R, Belgrade M, et al. Assessment and Management of Chronic Pain.; 2013. Pakpour AH, Yaghoubidoust M, Campbell P. Persistent and developing sleep problems: a prospective cohort study on the relationship to poor outcome in patients attending a pain clinic with chronic low back pain. Pain Pract. 2017:1-2. doi:10.1111/papr.12584. Morley S, Williams A. New Developments in the Psychological Management of Chronic Pain. CanJPsychiatry. 2015;6060(44):168-175. Locke E a, Latham GP. Building a practically useful theory of goal setting and task motivation: A 35-year odyssey. Am Psychol. 2002;57(9):705-717. doi:10.1037/0003-066X.57.9.705. Bodenheimer T, Handley MA. Goal-setting for behavior change in primary care: An exploration and status report. Patient Educ Couns. 2009;76(2):174-180. doi:10.1016/j.pec.2009.06.001.  

Most people wish they were more productive at work. To feed this never-ending desire for increased efficiency, an entire industry peddles so-called productivity hacks that promise quick fixes to snuff out procrastination and boost output. Unfortunately, most of this advice amounts to snake oil. This week on Game Plan, Sam and Rebecca take a novel path to solving their productivity problems: The subconscious. Gary Latham, an organizational psychologist at the University of Toronto, joins them to discuss his decades of research into how subtle influences to our psyches can help us get more done at work. Productivity here we come!

Mike & Billy receive a LIVE report from the Irish Open from Dan with GolfCentralDaily.com.  Joining Mike & Billy in the first hour of the show is Bob Skura, Author of "How Great Golfers Think" and "Peanuts, Pianos & Pavlov's Dog.  Check out his website at www.howgreatgolfersthink.com. Background Bob Skura Bob discovered the secrets to the mental game of golf in response to failure. He had ambitions to play professionally but a stint on the Canadian tour didn’t turn out as planned. He was 21 at the time, and like most golfers, was perplexed by why he could shoot the lights out one day and hit it sideways the next. So Bob sat down and took stock of his attributes. First he wondered if his physique was the problem. There were players on the Tour who were taller, smaller, heavier and lighter than Bob. They were making a great living at it, so he eliminated body type as a factor. Then he wondered if his mechanics were good enough. Some players like Anthony Kim swing perfectly on plane, but others like Jim Furyk and Kenny Perry have unorthodox styles, yet still manage to win big money. So Bob concluded that swing mechanics alone don’t determine a golfer’s success. Finally Bob considered his equipment and training. But he realized that all of the money he had spent over the years on drivers, utility clubs, books, videos and swing aids had done more to make his basement look like a golf warehouse than help him lower his scores. So Bob concluded that the secret to making those days of stellar performance a more frequent occurrence wasn’t based on anything he could do physically. The answer had to have something to do with what was going on between his ears. Intrigued by these observations, Bob began reading all the psychology literature he could find on human performance, hoping to uncover secrets to the mental game. For many years he studied the ideas of more than 100 renowned psychologists like Maria Montessori (childhood education), Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi (Guru of Flow), D.H. Meichenbaum (SIT Stress Inoculation Training), Lev Vygotsky (function of language in human development), Edwin Locke and Gary Latham (goal-setting), and Albert Bandura (self-efficacy). As a result Bob came to realize that our mental skills – how we think, talk and play – are as fundamental to success in the mental game of golf as grip, posture and alignment are to the physical game. Click here for the Deal of the Week courtesy of Golflandwarehouse.com use promo code "GTR" for BIG discounts! Thank you to our GTR Partners please visit their sites and support the businesses that support GTR! Slickstix Avila Beach Golf Resort Blacklake Golf Resort Golflandwarehouse Avila La Fonda Hotel Inn at Avila Beach Email Mike and Billy at info@golftalkradio.com with questions, comments or whatever