Self-Concordant Goals...huh?

Setting goals is an essential part of personal and professional growth, but the type of goals you set matters in terms of success in achieving them. Many people chase goals that feel like, or even specifically are, obligations - external pressures rather than personal passions. This disconnect can lead to burnout, frustration, or lackluster results.

Enter the concept of self-concordant goals, goals that align with your intrinsic values, passions, sense of purpose – ultimately, your vision for your life. By adjusting your goals to be self-concordant, even if they were assigned to you as obligations, you can create a framework for success that feels fulfilling, sustainable, and deeply rewarding. For NeuroConscious Leaders, this shift is essential for inspiring teams, achieving sustainable success, and rewiring the brain for fulfillment and resilience.

What Are Self-Concordant Goals?

Self-concordant goals are goals that resonate with your authentic self. Unlike controlled goals, which are driven by external obligations, like job-related or assigned goals, self-concordant goals are fueled by your internal vision - your intrinsic wants, desires, values, and aspirations.

For example:

• Controlled Goal: “Book 2 new clients.”

• Self-Concordant Goal: “Earn a promotion to further my career goals.”

Self-concordant goals provide a sense of purpose and engagement, making it easier to stay motivated and resilient, even in the face of obstacles.

Why Self-Concordant Goals Matter

The benefits of creating goals that are related to your internal vision are backed by both psychology and neurotransformation:

• Increased Motivation: Intrinsic goals naturally engage your brain’s reward system, releasing dopamine and reinforcing positive behavior.

• Higher Satisfaction: Achieving goals that reflect your true self leads to deeper fulfillment, reducing the likelihood of feeling empty or unfulfilled.

• Greater Resilience: When your goals align with your core values, you’re more likely to persevere through challenges, viewing setbacks as opportunities to grow.

Studies show that people who pursue self-concordant goals experience greater well-being and are more likely to sustain their efforts over time.

Revisiting Your Current Goals and OKRs

The first step in making sure that your goals are self-concordant is to assess whether they align with your values. Here’s how to evaluate your existing Goals:

• Review Your Objectives:

Ask yourself:

• Does this objective excite me?

• Is it aligned with my passions and long-term vision?

• Would I pursue this even if there were no external rewards?

If the answer is no, it may be time to reframe the objective to better reflect your authentic self.

• Examine Your To-dos:Look at the milestones you’ve set:

  • Are these metrics meaningful to me, or do they feel arbitrary?

  • Do they reflect the kind of progress I genuinely care about?

• Identify Disconnects:If your goals feel misaligned, explore where the disconnect lies. Are they driven by societal expectations, peer pressure, obligations, or fear of failure? Awareness is the first step toward making adjustments.

How to Adjust Job-Related (or Assigned) Goals/OKRs to Be Self-Concordant

Now take a look at any work goals assigned to you and massage your SMART Goals to include your work goals. Research shows that when our goals are our own, we are more likely to achieve success with their goals. 

Transforming your work or controlled goals into self-concordant ones involves aligning them with your intrinsic values and aspirations. Here’s a step-by-step guide:

Step 1: Clarify Your Core Values

 Take time to reflect on what matters most to you in a work or job environment. Some prompts to guide this process:

• What brings me the greatest sense of joy and fulfillment at work?

• What kind of legacy do I want to leave in my career?

• What activities make me lose track of time?

Write down your top values and use them as a compass for your goal-setting.

Step 2: Tweak Your Goals to Include your Controlled Goals

Make your work goals your own by including them into your self-concordant goals.  

For instance, if you have a SMART goal of “Getting a 10% raise by the end of July”, and you have a work goal of increasing your billability by 20%, you can massage your personal goal to include your work goal: “Increase my billability by 20% by my mid-year review and ask for a 10%” raise.

This subtle shift transforms a purely assigned goal into one that resonates with your personal needs and wants.

The Role of Neuroplasticity in Self-Concordant Goals

At haveLAB, we emphasize the transformative power of neuroplasticity—the brain’s ability to rewire itself through repeated thoughts and actions. Pursuing self-concordant goals accelerates this process by aligning your brain’s reward system with your authentic values.

Each time you take a step toward a self-concordant goal, your brain reinforces neural pathways associated with motivation, focus, and resilience. Over time, these pathways become stronger, making it easier to sustain positive habits and achieve lasting transformation.

Conclusion: The Power of Self-Concordant Goals

Self-concordant goals aren’t just a productivity hack; they’re a transformative way to align your actions with your authentic self. For NeuroConscious Leaders, this alignment drives not only personal fulfillment but also team and organizational success.

At haveLAB, we guide clients in this process, helping them connect with their values and rewire their brains for meaningful growth. So, take a moment today to revisit your work goals. Are they aligned with your personal goals? If not, what adjustments can you make to create goals that inspire and empower you?

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