Goal Seeking as a Tool for Self Help

[PsychoCybernetics]

As a thought experiment let's assume that we all have a goal seeking machine at our disposal. Let's assume that our brain is fundamentally a goal seeking machine. Now Let's put that hypothesis to a test. Let's take a brand new brain, one that has not been cluttered by any information at all, good or bad, a human baby. Well, almost no bad if we ignore the first encounter with other humans is to have your bottom smacked to make you cry because they love you.

After that ridiculous encounter you calm down and start looking for food. Some people have called this instinct but this is as misguided as slapping your bottom. You goal is to get something to eat and is duly provided by someone who really loves you, your mother.

Next, sometime later, you find yourself laying on your back in a crib with an interesting multicoloured mobile dangling over your head. You don't know what this perverse thing is so you decide to see what it feels like. But that's not as easy as you think. Your arms wave around, your fingers grasp at the air. You have no concept of the vast multitude of muscles to achieve your goal, you need help. Over time something in your brain, by trial and error, guides your hand and fingers to what you want. You have achieved your first goal. Well, second if you don't ignore your first one. with your mother, but that usually only happens when you are a teenager.

After that ordeal, you learn to use that technique to achieve goal after goal. As time passes you want more and different things. And that something inside your brain always finds a way to get it for you, using whatever means you know of, sometimes using very inventive methods you aren't really sure where they came from.

Now you have grown up and had many many life experiences and have gained a vast storehouse of knowledge. It was gained in every way that it's possible to gain knowledge. Much of it you don't consciously remember and a lot that you can't put into words, like how to ride a bicycle, but it's there nevertheless. It has a name it's called tacit knowledge.

It is that tacit knowledge you will draw from for your self help. You only need a goal to bring it out. It's always worked in the past. Any ideas?

[PsychoCybernetics]

Hi Dools,

That is a terrific post and could be used as a good blueprint for anyone struggling with depression. It is a good example of how to use goal setting.

What goal setting actually does is allow one to focus on a single task. As you said; "Thoughts, feelings, beliefs, values, emotions, conscious and unconscious ideas and ideals. It is enough to make your head spin!"

Sometimes with so many things spinning through one's mind, like a run-away carrousel, your brain doesn't have any idea as to what or which thing is going past it is supposed to work with. But being your ever faithful servant it will reach out and grab one to see if that satisfies you. But getting no feedback from you its got no choice but to either hold on to one or keep grabbing something else at random waiting for an answer.

Finally it will find something it is familiar with, something that you most commonly do. If you most commonly focus on negative thoughts it will hold on to them and replay them over and over until told otherwise. Unlike a real carrosusel, where you pay your money and it only keeps going until the money runs out and stops, this one won't stop.

Without further instructions and full of negative thoughts you are now incapable of making rational positive decisions.

The only way you can stop this mad ride is to never get on it without giving ii instructions first. The only way possible is to have a goal in mind and state it clearly. With the goal theory it isn't necessary to know all the steps necessary to achieve it before you state it. They will come to you sometime before you start or somewhere along the way.

It goes without saying you don't set goals that you are incapable of achieving. If you aren't sure then set one that is almost impossible to fail at. Like just getting out of bed. Go wash your face. Clean up your bedroom. As you get more accustomed to saying to yourself; "I'm going to do this." then the complexity of your goals can increase.

I know I am preaching to the converted Dools since you already know this and are doing it. But it doesn't hurt to see it in writing, And besides someone else might read it.