Best sub for goal setting and following through

Questions and Comments
#1

Hi everyone,

I’ve recently become hyper-aware that my biggest weakness is being very bad at setting goals and following through. I have a lot of ideas and start many projects, but after a short burst of activity, my interest wanes and I move on to other things. This might not be a bad thing in itself, but over time it makes me angry and unsatisfied. I just can’t figure out how to make a goal interesting enough to keep me going and see it through to the end. Goals are something that don’t appeal to me at all. They don’t give me drive or motivation. To me, goals are just vague ideas.

Another issue is that as soon as I finish something (which does happen occasionally), I forget about it immediately. I feel no pride or attachment to it and often can’t appreciate it. So, the next thing I pursue doesn’t have any excitement because I know that once it’s finished, it will be over and hold no more value for me. On the other hand, working on goals or projects is mostly unsatisfying because it’s often hard work, and the tasks aren’t really appealing to me. Since I have no drive to complete or reach the goal, I don’t see why I should fully commit myself to it.

Over time, I’m getting tired of this cycle. I want to be able to clearly differentiate between dreams and dreams that I want to convert into goals, and then be able to pursue them effectively.

My question is: which sub would be perfect to address this issue? I think this problem might be rooted in a trauma, so perhaps a healing-focused sub? Or something like Hero:Origins?

Thank you guys.

5 Likes
#2

I would like to add that I often find myself engaging in self-sabotage. Even in professional settings, I tend to avoid completing projects, which has been detrimental to my career. It seems as though my brain is wired to avoid finishing tasks. Open projects or dreams are more satisfying to me because they don’t carry the risk of criticism or humiliation that completed projects do. By not finishing things, I thought I could avoid these risks. However, over time, I’ve realized that this behavior now puts me at risk of being seen as someone who talks but doesn’t deliver, or even as a loser. Earlier in life, I didn’t face this risk because I kept my dreams to myself, fearing ridicule. Given this, perhaps a healing title would be most appropriate.

#4

I think this is a general issue of societal conditioning and operation.

I don’t see what you explained as a personal issue of yours.

This is your strength.

There’s so many systems out there explaining our own unique design, and this strikes me as you being more of a creator type, like a seed planter.

What I’m hearing from what you say is the issue is you’re trying to fit yourself in a box because your job requires you to be the one planting the seed, watering the plant and doing all the steps till harvest, but you enjoy most working with the soil and planting the seed.

We are not meant to be ‘kitchensink’, but society has been built to divide us and make us small by keeping us busy trying to be everything we’re not instead of expanding through being what we really are.

Sorry I know this doesn’t solve the immediate issue but I hope this perspective can somewhat help you reframe what is the empowered you and what is the bullshit you are trying to fit yourself into that is coming from outside expectations and makes you judge yourself negatively as if you’re not good enough.

Obviously striving to expand oneself in any direction one wishes is great, but being aware of the different dynamics going on can help make more empowered and aligned choices.

3 Likes
#5

Executive and limitless?

#6

Tagging @AnswerGroup for this question.

#7

We, and I, don’t know you. So we can’t really answer the question.

But we can guess.

What I seem to observe is a mixture of 1) need for greater self-knowledge and 2) over-thinking.

It seems like you’re very quick to judge yourself, but not quick enough to explore yourself.

What you want to understand are your patterns of Intrinsic Motivation.

One good process I’ve done in the past is called SIMA: The System for Identifying Motivated Abilities.

I just asked ChatGPT to generate a brief description of the system:

The SIMA (System for Identifying Motivated Abilities) process helps you uncover your natural motivations and talents by analyzing your life achievements. Here’s how to apply it:

  1. Write detailed stories about 7-10 achievements from any part of your life that gave you deep satisfaction. Include both work and personal accomplishments, from childhood onward. For each story, describe:
  • What you did specifically
  • How you did it
  • What made it satisfying
  • The outcome
  1. Review these stories to identify patterns in:
  • Activities you naturally gravitate toward
  • Ways you prefer to work
  • Skills you consistently use
  • Circumstances that energize you
  • Types of problems you enjoy solving
  • Results that give you satisfaction
  1. Look for recurring themes across your stories. Note when you:
  • Lost track of time while doing something
  • Felt energized rather than drained
  • Performed at your best without forcing it
  • Achieved results that made you proud

The patterns you discover reveal your motivated abilities - the intersection of what you’re good at and what you love doing. These are your natural talents in action, not just learned skills.

Use these insights to:

  • Guide career decisions
  • Shape your current role
  • Choose projects and opportunities
  • Understand why certain work energizes or drains you
  • Explain your value to others

The key is focusing on actual achievements rather than interests or aspirations. Your past accomplishments contain the blueprint for your future success.

Also asked it to recommend a current reference to guide someone through the process. (I did it a long time ago.)

The foundational book is “The Motivated Brain” by Arthur Miller, who developed SIMA. However, this book is now out of print and can be hard to find.

The most accessible current resource is “What You’re Really Meant to Do” by Robert Steven Kaplan (Harvard Business Review Press). Chapter 3 specifically walks through the SIMA process with examples and worksheets.

If you want to work with certified practitioners who can guide you through the full process, you can find them through SIMA International (simainternational.com).

I’d also recommend the Clifton Strengths Finder assessment.

It’s affordable and it’s equal in quality to other assessments that are 10 or 20 times the price.

2 Likes
#8

@TheRock, what do you want to solve this issue in the first place? Like what is the experience, or result you would have in your life if this were not an issue? That could affect the answer for which sub would help.

But generally

Emperor: Executive or Hero: Origins for a faster but longer-term solution

Healing subs or even Quantum Limitless may support but in a more circuitous fashion.

I would be bet- Hero: The Light that Blinds stage 2 and 4 would really help as well. If it is trauma or emotional issues that keep you from effectively and consistently working towards mastery in what matters to you for Water and everything to do with consistency and action for Stage 4: Fire

1 Like
#9

While all subs under productivity and wealth category helps with this issue, I would try Executive or/and Limitless.

#10

You’ve gotten some great responses from these guys, so I’ll just add a test I took years ago that helped me understand how to allocate my time and energy better after feeling like you stated here:

Search “kolbe index” or just click this: Take Kolbe A Index - Kolbe.com

It measures the “instinctive ways you take action” and suggests strategies you can use to lean into how you already do things, basically.

As for a sub suggestion: Executive or Hero sound like they could fit the bill.

#11

Wow, thank you all for your deep and profound answers (and questions) to my question.
@SoulFire for pointing out the societal conditioning, something I have to explore.

@Malkuth for your brilliant assessment and the suggestions with SIMA and the Clifton Strengh Finder. Will do some research about it.
@Azriel for your question of why and the suggestion of Hero: The Light That Blinds. Something I hadn’t on my radar.
@Sub.Zero for your (now deleted) sub suggestion. It was an interesting one.
@summit for your also very interessting tip.

Thank you. Time to think and explore.

2 Likes
#12

Compiling a list of the sub suggestions:

  • Emperor Executive
  • Limitless
  • Godlike Masculinity (GLM)
  • Hero Origins
  • Healing Subs
  • Quantum Limitless
  • Hero: The light that blinds Stage 2 (Water) and 4 (Fire)
#13

How about Genesis?

#14

This sounds like ADHD. I know because I have it and I just learned this in the last 6 months. I also am familiar with the feeling you’re describing.

Here’s what’s been working for me that may help, sub suggestions aside:

  1. Get rid of goals and have projects. Projects have a definite result due at the end. Projects are also trackable in so much as you can look at what needs to be done to create forward momentum. Have a weight loss goal? Make it a body transformation project. Have a business idea? What would it look like as a project?

  2. Cycle working on your projects. This has made the biggest difference for me. I have 3 separate business projects each in various stages of development. I never try and work on them at the same time. Instead I only work on One project until I get stuck or bored, (ADHD is awesome, if you understand how to work with your dopamine. Boredom is a clue my dopamine is low.

Once I’m bored, I dedicate my next time for business tasks to project 2 or 3. And I cycle through the projects. And normally working on a different project will help me solve the sticking point for a project I’m taking a break from.

  1. Almost any of the alpha titles or mental expansion titles will help you get better at completing things. And as everyone else has made their recommendations, I’ll instead recommend that you read the descriptions looking for what most vibes with who you see yourself being in the next one to five years.
2 Likes
#15

Goal setting is an executive function so it’s literally the Executive

#16

Goal setting isn’t a healing issue it’s a goal setting issue hence the executive is the most direct route

Hero:origins is very unrelated

You could add Genesis: The Art Of Happiness and Joy as a supporting sub for the Executive, or, you could use Phoenix as a supporting sub to help you heal anything blocking you from rocking the executive’s objectives

1 Like
#17

Thanks for that hint. It led me to some good resources.