Systems vs. Goals: The Distinction

Just yesterday, I shared a popular James Clear quote, “You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems.”

James Clear explains, in the excerpt below from Atomic Habits,

Goals are about the results you want to achieve. Systems are about the processes that lead to those results.

People always swear by “I am goal oriented” or driven by purpose. I don’t exactly dislike this saying, but I definitely feel it’s less potent the more I hear it. What I like to hear instead after learning about systems and goals is more or less something like— “I’m a learner at heart, while I like results, what matters more to me is the process I learn to get to those results.”

Because let’s face it, how many times have we actually achieved our goals one after another without delay? (Props to you if you’re able to accomplish every single goal without any challenge, that’s quite a feat.) That’s exactly why consistency is key. Because life is going to throw hurdles at you, unexpected ones too. But if you have systems in place, you’ll automate and do less thinking. Less thinking means more mental capacity. More mental capacity means better decision making. Better decision making leads to effective action, and when an action is effective — not only does it yield positive results, but ultimately those actions are a vote or tally for the person you wish to become. That being said, I highly recommend you buy it already.

Don’t delay, order your copy of Atomic Habits and subscribe to James Clear’s Thursday newsletter. You won’t regret it.