Set and Achieve Goals
A Summary of Huberman Lab Podcast #55
I must start with saying that this is an independently manufactured summary of Huberman’s podcast. Listening to his podcast, episode #55, I was just so excited by what I have learned that I needed to summarize it all, making sure I fully understand the different findings about setting and achieving goals. Detailing each point, I am trying to explain it in my own words and, develop some specific ideas I found fascinating. Enjoy.
To begin with, setting goals is not a uniquely human endeavor. Every animal sets and achieves goals. From bees, setting to collect honey, to a lioness setting her eyes on the prey and chasing it down. Goals are a unique, Dopamine releasing activity and so it is very important to understand that setting goals is as important as the rewards we hope to collect when we achieve them. That is, the first mental step we take, envisioning a potential future (setting a goal), is as fulfilling, as cognitively rewarding, as the actual fruits we bear from finally achieving that goal. In some cases, actually, the vision of achieving the goal can create a greater satisfaction than the achievement itself. I will get into more details about that as I follow the podcast’s stages, but this point is very important to understand.
