Process Goals, Performance Goals, Ben Franklin, and You
by Mariah Burton Nelson  

While admiring Michelle Wie (Wow!) or Stanford women's or men's basketball (yes, I'm biased) or those guys playing football this Sunday, consider your own goals.

There are two kinds: Performance goals and process goals. People focus on performance because it's measurable: "We won!" Fine. But process goals direct your attention to matters of the mind, heart, spirit, or character. They remind you that, as Maggie Bedrosian says in her book by this title, "Life is More Than Your To-Do List."

Ben Franklin made process goals famous with his 13-point self-improvement plan, which included frugality, tranquility, and moderation. (This athletic scientist, politician, philosopher, writer, printer, and inventor was a self-taught swimmer who invented hand paddles and fins and once "sailed" across a pond by holding onto a kite. Fortunately he did not try this in a thunderstorm.)

Here's one of my process goals for 2004: Teamplay. (A lot like teamwork, but even more fun.) In addition to teaming with clients, speaker's bureaus, and Terrific Assistant Susan Devereaux, I hope to collaborate on certain writing or speaking projects. In December I'll let you know how I (we!) did.

If you'd like to go public with your process goals, send me one, and I'll share it in the next edition of Two Points. (Trust me: The act of clarifying and sharing will be helpful.)

How did Ben Franklin do? Becoming perfect was more difficult than he expected, and he abandoned the project after several weeks. He concluded, however, "the mere attempt made him a better and happier man than he would have been otherwise," H.W. Brands writes in The First American.

Go ahead. Attempt to become a better and happier person. Report back.

Point #1: By setting process goals, we remind ourselves that winning is not the only thing.

Point #2: A process goal can become an annual theme song, something to remind you of a deeper purpose or value.

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NOW AVAILABLE in revised 2005 edition:
The Stronger Women Get, The More Men Love Football