Category Archives: Mastery

How Thinking About Mastery Can Make You Happy or Unhappy

Posted on March 16, 2019 by David Motto

I just read a terrific article by Joe Pinsker in the Atlantic: “Why So Many Smart People Aren’t Happy.” Pretty provocative title, and there’s a specific aspect of this happiness (whether for smart people or for anyone else) that I … Continue reading →

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SMARTER Goals: A Recap

Posted on February 20, 2019 by David Motto

My SMARTER Goals system moves beyond the SMART Goals system in a crucial way: While SMART goals are great for planning, SMARTER goals give you two extra steps that actually get you started doing the needed work to achieve your … Continue reading →

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SMARTER Goals: R is for Rewarded

Posted on February 19, 2019 by David Motto

The final letter in my SMARTER Goals system is a second R. This one stands for “Reward.” Rewards Motivate You Carrots and Sticks. This is the central metaphor we use when talking about extrinsic motivation – that is, something outside … Continue reading →

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SMARTER Goals: E is for Enabled

Posted on February 18, 2019 by David Motto

In my SMARTER Goals system, “E” stands for “Enabled.” Enabling a Goal Has Two Components 1) You will probably need to change something in your life to enable yourself to achieve this goal. Carve out specific time to work on … Continue reading →

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SMARTER Goals: R is for Risky

Posted on February 16, 2019 by David Motto

In the traditional SMART Goals system, the “R” stands for “realistic.” That meant: set up goals that you actually have a shot at achieving. Be realistic and don’t dream of things that are actually physically impossible, like thinking you’ll teach … Continue reading →

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