Goal Setting Glossary

The obligation or willingness to accept responsibility for one's actions and goal progress, often enhanced through external partners or public commitments.

Goals directed toward achieving a positive or desirable outcome, as opposed to avoiding a negative one.

Goals aimed at preventing or moving away from an undesirable outcome, such as avoiding failure or preventing weight gain.

Breaking a large goal into smaller, more manageable pieces or subgoals to reduce overwhelm and create a clear sequence of action steps.

Purposeful, structured practice focused on improving specific aspects of performance, guided by clear goals and immediate feedback.

Drive to perform an activity in order to earn external rewards such as money, recognition, or grades, rather than for inherent satisfaction.

Information about the gap between current performance and the desired goal, enabling adjustment of strategies and effort.

The tendency for people to be more motivated to pursue goals after temporal landmarks such as the start of a new year, month, or week.

The degree of determination and persistence a person directs toward achieving a specific goal.

A situation in which the pursuit of one goal interferes with or undermines progress toward another goal.

The unconscious adoption of goals after observing others pursue them, driven by social learning and environmental cues.

A structured system where high-level abstract goals cascade into mid-level goals and then into concrete daily actions.

The clarity and precision with which a goal is defined, including measurable criteria for success.

Pre-planned if-then rules that link a situational cue to a specific goal-directed response, increasing follow-through.

The drive to engage in an activity for its own sake because it is inherently interesting, enjoyable, or personally meaningful.

In the OKR framework, measurable outcomes that indicate whether progress is being made toward a qualitative objective.

Goals focused on developing competence, learning new skills, and personal improvement rather than outperforming others.

A motivation strategy involving vivid imagination of both a desired future and the present obstacles standing in the way.

Objectives and Key Results: a framework pairing qualitative objectives with measurable key results to drive alignment and focus.

Goals focused on demonstrating competence relative to others or meeting external standards of achievement.

An individual's belief in their capacity to execute the behaviors necessary to achieve specific goals.

Goals that are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound.

Highly ambitious targets that exceed current capabilities and are intended to drive innovation or breakthrough performance.

Short-term, intermediate targets that serve as stepping stones toward a larger long-term goal.

Wish, Outcome, Obstacle, Plan: an evidence-based mental strategy combining positive visualization with obstacle identification and implementation intentions.